Children of Legend
by Guardian Amulet
Summary: The second incarnation of the Justice League: Captain Marvel as it's leader, with the next generation of Batman, The Flash, and a female Green Arrow, the last two of whom are expecting a child. Sequel of The Fallout R
1. Chapter 1 Confirmation

It certainly wasn't the first that Kamal Wayne was in Gotham Mercy Hospital, but it _was_ the first time he was there in a polo shirt and slacks. Gotham was his territory now; he had taken over the mantle of Batman, but he also took over the position his father had given up in the Justice League, as well. That was the only reason he was there at all, and he tried to remember that as he waited, watching the people for lack of anything else to do.

"What's taking so long?" Kamal looked up at the speaker, Aidan West. He was pacing the hall, hands in his pockets. He was surprised at his control thus far; he had only spoken a couple of times, and had done nothing in line with his alter ego, The Flash. Every once in a while, Kamal could see his fingers moving in a blur, but other than that, he was keeping his nervousness together. Kamal could understand why he was nervous, though. His eyes were darting around, as he played with his blonde hair over and over, to the point where it was a complete mess- not that it didn't look like a mess any other time.

Finally, the door opened, and Aidan's head snapped back quickly. He let out a somewhat relieved sigh as he saw the woman- well, the girl, really- who came out. She had long blonde hair, hanging straight down her back, and brilliant green eyes. Her eyes, however, held a quiet fear in them. She looked up at Aidan and gave him a somewhat sickly smile. "Three months," she said.

He was in shock for a moment. "You're three months pregnant?"

She nodded. "The baby's healthy," she said. Her face broke, as a full smile came through, and she put her arms around Aidan. "The baby's healthy," she repeated, a little more animatedly. "We're going to be parents." He was in shock; that much Kamal could tell. He could also see what was going on behind his eyes; he had gotten Olivia Queen pregnant. She put his fears into words a moment later, and Kamal had to try not to laugh at the almost comical look on Aidan's face when he heard it.

"I'm going to be showing soon," she said. "We're going to have to tell my parents."

"Uh, yeah, about that," Aidan said, pulling back to look at her. "I have an idea."

The three of them started to walk out of the hospital, to the limo that waited outside. There was media there, of course; the cameras followed Kamal Wayne everywhere. He had insisted on being there when Olivia had her suspicions confirmed; he was, after all, paying for it, and for a fellow Leaguer, it was the least he could do. Olivia had taken up the mantle of Green Arrow after her father had faded from the title, though Kamal suspected he wasn't exactly retired. With a smile, Kamal remembered a conversation he had once had with Dealer.

'_There are two people in the old League who everyone thought they could beat, but no one wanted to try. One was my father. The other was Ollie Queen. No, they may not have had any powers, but if they looked you in the eye, you would think twice about crossing them.'_

"Oh?" Olivia said.

"Yes. I'm going to run to your house, let your family know, and then run back here as quickly as possible. Then, your father won't kill me."

Olivia shook her head. "You're going to have to stop to eat sometime," she said. "You don't think he's going to corner you then?"

Aidan made a wry face. "Good point," he said, as they all got into the limo. His assistant, Minshi, was at the wheel.

"Back to the manor," Kamal said. She pulled away obediently.

"No, we just have to tell him face to face, is all," Olivia said. Her calm voice was the antithesis of Aidan's nervous one. "Trust me; he won't want his daughter to be a single mother."

"Well, right now, you sorta are," he reminded her. "Unless, we get married. We'll get married first, _then_ tell your father!"

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "That's smart," she said sarcastically. "So, not only does he see his daughter married only a couple months after the engagement's announced, but he gets to see her belly through it. Right."

"We can get married now. There's always chapels open in Las Vegas."

Olivia shook her head, folding her arms over her chest. "Forget it. We are having a real wedding, Aidan. You know how I feel about that."

"It doesn't have to be the real one," he said. "We just have the paper. Then, after the baby's born, we have a big wedding, with everyone there. Besides, if we wait much longer…" He hesitated a moment. "You're not going to look really good in white."

"I won't be able to wear white," Olivia pointed out.

"…Yeah, I know…."

Kamal leaned forward slightly, looking at Aidan. "Do you want to be the one to tell Oliver Queen that he missed his little girl's wedding?" He caught the angry glance that Olivia gave him; she hated to be reminded that she was only nineteen, one of the youngest members of the League.

Aidan's eyes went wide for a moment. "Yeah. Good point," he said.

"Okay, I have an idea," Olivia said. "We'll have a nice dinner out. You and me, and my parents, and yours. They're going to need to know, too."

"My parents aren't going to try to kill me when they find out," Aidan pointed out.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Pop isn't going to try and _kill_ you," she said. "Yes, I think he'll probably be...upset."

"To say the least," Aidan muttered. "This place…it's going to be public, right? Like, very public?"

"Of course," Olivia said, with a nod. "There's a nice place by the bay, I think it's called the Blue Nest, if I'm not mistaken. It's been a while since I've been anyplace fancy in Seattle. But, it'll be public. And besides, Mom will be there. She can usually keep my father under control."

"I hope so," Aidan muttered. Kamal waited, as Minshi nodded to him, putting away the cell phone.

"Reservations have been made for seven Pacific time," he said. Olivia shifted in the seat, taking out her phone. "Put it on the speaker; I want to hear this," Kamal said, smiling. He knew it was going to be an interesting conversation, and he wanted to hear what Ollie was going to say.

Olivia nodded, motioning for both of them to keep quiet. She plugged the cord into the bottom of the phone before calling her home. A few moments later, a woman's voice answered- her mother, Dinah Lance Queen, once Black Canary.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mom."

"Olivia!" She sounded genuinely surprised, and pleasantly so. "It's good to hear from you again. How have you been?"

"Pretty good," she said. "You know, the phone does have caller ID on it. You can find out it's me before you answer the phone. I turned it on the last time I was there, remember?"

Dinah sighed. "Yes, but your father turned it off again. He keeps insisting it sends our phone number out, too."

Olivia sighed. "That's Pop. Is he around?"

"Yes, hold on."

"No, no need….to….do…that…" Olivia realized she was talking to no one, and sighed. "Great," she muttered. "I just wanted to see if he was home."

"Olivia?" It was definitely her father, sounding suspicious, as usual.

"Hi, Pop! Hey, are you doing anything this evening? Around, say, seven?"

"Well….not really. The 49'ers are playing tonight," he said. "Why?"

"No reason," Olivia said. "I just wanted to see if you and Mom were up for a nice dinner out?" Her voice was most obviously sweet sounding, something that was very unusual in her. Kamal picked it up easily enough; obviously, her father knew her even better than he did.

"Why does this smell like a setup?" he asked.

"Setup?"

"Yeah. My Spidey sense is tingling."

"Pop, can't I have a nice dinner with my parents, and my boyfriend and his parents?"

"You're not serious."

"Please, Dad," she begged. "For me."

There was a heavy sigh from the other end of the line. "Fine. For you, Little Bird." Kamal looked at Olivia, as she glared back at him, her fist curling up.

"I'll see you at seven then."

"Yeah. Can't wait. Be careful." With that, he hung up, as did Olivia. Aidan hung up his cell phone, too.

"They'll be there," he said. "Looks like it's gonna be an eventful evening."

As they put their phones away, Minshi pulled up into the garage of the Manor. It was currently empty, the elder Wayne having gone off on a vacation to Greece with Kamal's mother, Talia Head. They all got out, though Kamal put his hand on Aidan's arm as he left. "Take this," he told the other man, handing him a small bug. "It's a good luck charm. In case things go bad."

"You're not coming with us?" he asked quietly, his eyes wide.

Kamal smiled. "I'll be there," he said. "Just put that under your cuff." Aidan nodded, slipping the bug into his pocket as he got out. Olivia was waiting for him, looking somewhat nervous herself. "I'll be at the Satellite if you need me," he said. "You kids have fun."

Olivia glared more than Aidan did. Kamal turned, though he smiled. It was just _fun_ to watch her squirm, especially since most of the time, she had the same overflow of emotional energy that her father had always had. The original Batman had said it was his greatest weakness; however, Kamal saw that it was not as much of a weakness as Bruce had thought. He had seen Olivia in action, temper and all. She was not weak, by any means. Then again, neither was he, or Aidan, or any other member of the League. That was _why_ they were asked to be in the League.

Kamal turned in time to see Aidan lifting Olivia gently into his arms. He was being unusually cautious, more than likely because of the confirmation that she was carrying his child, and the two of them disappeared as he sped off to Seattle. Knowing that he could do little else but listen, Kamal made his way into the house, down into the Batcave, and to the transporter pad. A few moments later, he had rematerialized on the Satellite, high in orbit over earth. Sitting at the main console was Dealer, the youngest member. He was the one who had the answers, and when he spoke, everyone made certain to listen.

"I told them not to…"

"Don't worry about it," Kamal interrupted, sitting down. "They both knew the risks. You can't force them to do anything, especially Olivia."

"She's nearly as stubborn as you are," the boy said.

Kamal shook his head and tapped a few commands into the control panel, and settled in to listen. It was going to be a very interesting, if not entertaining, evening. As an afterthought, he called up a few sets of plans for the Blue Nest, and the architectural plans for the Queen house. Just in case.


	2. Chapter 2 The Good News

It was a few minutes after seven, and as usual, Olivia found that her parents were late. She was already seated with Aidan and his mother and father. Wally had already flipped through the menu twenty times, and Aidan was looking around nervously. Linda, in contrast, was waiting patiently. Finally, she heard sound behind her, and both her parents came up, sitting down at the two empty chairs. She was mildly surprised to see her father in a button-down shirt and khakis, though from the look on his face, it wasn't much his decision. Olivia smiled at both of her parents, and was glad to see that at least her mother was being congenial, greeting the Wests. She had always been that way, and everyone had always respected her for it; at least, that was what Olivia had been told. From the way Wally and Linda were treating her, though, she could see that she had been told the truth.

"Well, Wally," Ollie said, sitting down. "You still look decent, though you seem to be losing a bit up here." He touched his own silver hair.

"Yeah, well, you seem to be a bit out of shape yourself. That's quite a gut you've got there."

"I earned this gut," he replied. "Not everyone masturbates at the speed of sound."

"Pop!" Olivia hissed. "We _are_ in public, you know."

He waved his hand dismissively. "It's not like no one's ever heard it before." He started to look around. "I'm sure that guy does it. And that guy over there. And him…"

"That's enough, Pop!" she said. She looked around the restaurant, and noted with mild relief that no one seemed to be staring yet. He made a noise in the back of his throat, but he was quiet.

"So, what have you been up to?" he asked her. "And what's with the dinner?" He looked up as the waitress came over, taking orders for drinks. "Coors, and keep 'em coming," he said. He then turned back to Olivia.

She tried not to look too upset; it was going to be hard enough to keep him under control sober. If he had too much to drink, it was going to be impossible. "You might want to ease up a little on the beer, Pop," she said hesitantly.

"You can drive. You won't be drinking." She turned away, looking at Aidan. He was looking at her as well, as he rolled a spoon between his fingers so fast, the metal was starting to bend. "So, what are we here for, anyway?" Ollie asked, as he took his beer from the waitress, finishing half of it in one gulp.

"Can't we just have a nice dinner?" Olivia asked. She got not only a raised eyebrow from her father, but one from Wally, as well. She looked over at Aidan. He had put down the spoon and was tapping his fingers on the table, and he refused to look at her. She sighed. "Let's eat first," she muttered.

"So, how has retirement been treating you?" Wally asked, then dropped his eyes for a moment again. "Besides the gut, anyway."

Ollie waved his beer before taking another swig. "You know, things ain't the same. These second-stringers don't know what they're doing." He had aimed the last comment directly at Aidan. "I mean, Clark's disappeared, Bruce's gone into the shadows and hasn't come out. Diana's god-knows-where. And this whole thing with Zatanna disappearing? You know if it were still the old League, we wouldn't be sitting around; we'd have gone and found out where the hell she went off to. And what the hell's with J'onn? He just up and left."

"I think he went to Mars," Wally said.

"Yeah, well, I always though he was from Mars."

Olivia frowned. "Pop, he's a Martian."

Ollie waved away her comment, and went back to sparring with Wally. Fortunately, the meal passed without much more than verbal battles between her father and Aidan's; unfortunately, it passed too quickly, and neither Olivia nor Aidan had much of an appetite. Her father was on his fourth beer, and even Wally was on his third drink.

"So, what's this place got for dessert?" Ollie asked, looking at a small placard that was in the center of the table.

"Pop, you, uh….you might not really want dessert," Olivia said, steeling herself. _I have to do it now, before I back out. They all have to know._ "You may not have much of an appetite."

He looked at her over the placard, one eyebrow raised. "Why not?"

Olivia opened her mouth a few times before she managed to get the words out. "Because you were right. There's something that I….well, that Aidan and I want to tell you. All of you."

"Great. I knew it," Ollie said, leaning back, throwing his hands up. "I knew you were going to want to marry him. I _knew_ it."

Olivia cringed. "Well, yes, eventually," she said. Quickly on the heels of that, her voice quiet, she added, "After the baby's been born."

There was a moment of shocked silence, as all four sets of eyes turned first to her, then to Aidan. "What?" Ollie demanded, leaning forward a bit. Olivia had to look away; the look on his face hurt.

"I'm three months pregnant," she whispered.

"Three Months!" Olivia looked up again, but her father wasn't looking at her; he was looking at Wally. "You're just loving this, aren't you?"

Wally tried not to smile, but he failed miserably. "Every nanosecond of it," he said. Olivia cringed. _Perfect, now he's pissed _and_ being antagonized._

"Well, maybe if you'd taught your son how to keep it in his pants, this wouldn't have happened," Ollie said, leaning forward, over the table. Olivia noted that his steak knife was suddenly clutched in his right hand. "Maybe if he hadn't abused my daughter. Forced himself on her. Assaulted her."

"Pop, that's enough, Aidan didn't do anything like that!" Olivia argued. "Please, put the knife-" She didn't get a chance to finish before he slammed it point-first into the table. Both she and Aidan leaned back a little. "Pop, please…"

"Olivia, you two aren't even married, what the hell are you going to do with a kid?"

Aidan said something, but his words came so quickly she couldn't make out what he said. After Wally told him to slow down, he repeated, "I-I'd want her to be my wife, if she'd have me."

"A little late for that now, isn't it?" Ollie demanded, leaning over towards Aidan now. "I ought to break your legs for raping my daughter!"

Olivia glared at him; he had crossed the line. She was about to tell him to stop, when he was suddenly thrown back in his chair. Aidan was standing, holding his fist in the other hand, his eyes flashing angrily. It was only a moment later that suddenly everyone at the table was on their feet, trying to keep the two of them apart. Olivia and Dinah finally managed to get Ollie outside, where they finally let go of him. Aidan had managed to say good-bye to her quickly, explaining that he was going to go home with his family and try to break them out of the shock of hearing the news.

Olivia and her parents went home after that, the ride back completely silent. It was a grating, painful silence, and Olivia sat in the back seat uncomfortably, knowing that she had disappointed both of them. That was the worst part of it. Once they pulled up in the driveway, Ollie got out and went silently into the house. Olivia was about to follow, when her mother put her hand on her arm. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Okay, I guess. I was hoping he wouldn't be so upset. Aidan was right."

"He cares about you," Dinah said. "And sometimes he expresses that in strange ways."

Olivia smiled. At least one of her parents was trying to be supportive. "Thanks, Mom," she said. "We better go inside before he tears the house apart." She went forward, up the small walk and into the house. She hadn't been there in some time, but it looked the same as it always had. She found her father in the living room, near the phone. He looked up.

"What took you so long?" he demanded. "Never mind. Why didn't you tell us this sooner?"

"I only just found out," she said. "It's not like I would know the next day."

"And what are you going to do?" he asked. "You have no idea how to take care of a baby. And where are you going to live? You can't be walking around the Satellite pregnant."

"I know. Aidan and I have an apartment."

"Yeah," he said sourly. "In LA. There is no way I am letting you raise your child in that city. It's too dangerous. You're going to have to move back in." He was rattling on, his voice dead. "We have to get your room done over again. And we need to make a nursery."

Olivia folded her arms. "Oh, and where in this plan does Aidan fit?" she demanded.

"He can visit."

"No. I'm not going to raise our baby without him," she said.

"Olivia, you're not even married. You're not even old enough to drink. And I don't trust that West kid to take care of both of you by himself. He's liable to get himself killed and leave you alone. You're staying here. At least I know you're taken care of."

"I'm not leaving Aidan," Olivia insisted. "Roy was right; he knew you'd act this way." She only then realized that her father had crossed the room, to lock the front door. He paused for a moment, glaring at her.

"So, you told him, but you didn't tell your own family?" he demanded. "I can't believe this, from my own daughter." He locked the door and turned around, folding his arms over his chest. She knew there wasn't going to be any passing through that door, at least not that night.

"Pop, this is crazy! You and Mom weren't married when I was born. I was _four_ before you got married, and only because you had a hell of a time finding me in the hospital when I broke my arm and they put my last name as Lance instead of Queen."

"That's different," Ollie insisted, shaking his head. "I don't want you to make the same mistakes. I didn't raise you like that."

"You raised me to think and act on my own," Olivia said, somewhat quietly. "I want this. I want to be with Aidan, and I'm glad I'm having his baby. We're going to start a life together."

Ollie snorted. "Yeah, I can just see that. He doesn't take a damn thing seriously, and you think he's going to start now?"

"He already has started, Pop," Olivia put in.

"He seemed pretty spineless at the restaurant."

"He thought you were going to kill him. The last time you saw him, you kicked him out, remember?"

Ollie paused for a moment. "I wouldn't kill him," he finally said. "I'd break his legs."

Rolling her eyes, Olivia said, "And that's any better? Forget it. If you want me to stay here, then Aidan stays as well. If he can't be here, then I won't be here. Stop making my decisions for me!"

"I don't!" he protested. "When you wanted to join the League, did I get in the way?"

"Yes!" Olivia said, exasperated. "Literally! I had to push you out of the doorway."

There was another pause, as he shrugged to himself. "But did I lock you in your room? You were only seventeen then, Olivia. That's too young to be risking your life like that."

Olivia shook her head. "My life was at risk every day since I was born," she pointed out gently. "I am your daughter after all. It wouldn't be hard for someone to hit you hard through me, now, would it? I don't want to be the helpless one here."

"Pregnant, you are. You are staying here, and that's final."

"Pop…"

"End of discussion."

"NO!" She had only expected to make her point clear. Riding on the word was a burst of sound, enough sound to make Ollie grab his ears and turn away, falling to his knees. Olivia put her hand over her mouth; she had a sense of what she had done, but she looked back at her mother, just in case. She was holding her ears as well, looking at her with shock. By then, her father had managed to get to his feet, looking at her.

"What the hell was that!"

"I-I don't know…" Olivia whispered, making certain not to raise her voice.

"I think it's a little late to be talking about this, and we're all tired," Dinah said. "Olivia, maybe it's best if you just…stayed here the night. Sleep on what your father said, and you can make your decision in the morning." The look on her face told Olivia that it wouldn't be smart to argue either point: that she had made up her mind, or that she was not tired.

"All right," she said, still keeping her voice down. "Pop…"

"I'm fine," he said, shaking his head somewhat. "Just…get some rest. I'll see you in the morning, Little Bird."


	3. Chapter 3 Recruitment

Olivia was more surprised that she had been given two days of peace and quiet than she was to receive the message on her communicator; there was some big meeting happening up on the Satellite, and she needed to be there. Saying good-bye to her parents, she was quickly teleported up to the Satellite. Having just been summoned and still on the teleporter pad were Kamal and Aidan. The latter smiled as she walked over, taking her hand and squeezing it quickly. Seeing him again, she realized just how much she had missed him, even more than she thought she had.

"Hey, how're you feeling?" he asked quietly, as the three of them began to walk through the Satellite, to the conference room. They both ignored Kamal; if he wanted to, he could hear every word they would have said. It was easier just to let him listen in; there was less frustration and no one felt insulted.

Olivia shrugged, sighing somewhat. "Not too bad. The nausea comes and goes, but I think part of it had to do with staying at my parents'. I think Pop wore me down over the past couple days. He does have a point, though. LA is dangerous. Moving away may not be a bad idea."

"I am _not_ moving in with your family," he said. "I'll end up in a wheelchair, if I'm not dead."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "I wasn't going to move back in. I was just thinking of getting our own place. Nearby."

"We could get our own place nearby in Central City," Aidan pointed out.

"Central City is six hours from my parents," she said. "Seattle is sixteen seconds away for your family."

"For my father," he corrected.

"You've been playing super taxi to me for the past year and a half."

Aidan blushed. "It's not the same!"

From behind them came Kamal's voice. "Not as different as you think, or did you think you were hatched?"

Both of them turned to glare at him, before they walked through the open double doors into the conference room. The majority of the room was taken up by the white table that sat in the middle, with two dozen chairs around it. Currently, however, most of the chairs were empty. With the three of them coming in, the population of the room was only eight. They all sat down, Olivia and Aidan on the left side of the table, Kamal on the right. They were all in their costumes, of course; it was expected, when one was on the Satellite.

Standing up at the front was a man, very well-maintained brown hair, wearing red and gold. "Ah, now that the three of you are here, we can begin," Captain Marvel said. Olivia leaned back in the seat somewhat, crossing her arms. "As you can see here, our roster as of late has been rather thin. Therefore, we're going to need to start looking for new recruits to fill in the gaps. Currently, we're looking at one individual." In the center of the table, a holographic image appeared. It showed a man, a little over six foot, with red hair and green eyes, in a red jumpsuit with a blue and yellow American star on the chest.

"Ay, he's a good Irish boy, ain't he?" Olivia said, in a horrible Irish accent. Aidan snickered, and Kamal glared at her, but Marvel continued on.

"This is Steel," he said. "He's looking for entrance into the League."

"So, we just put it to a vote, right?" Olivia said.

Marvel shook his head. "It's not that simple. Normally, I would say yes, but… well, let's just say he's not very experienced."

"Neither was I," she put in, leaning forward.

"No, but you had proven yourself," he said. "That is what we need here. One of you is going to go down and watch him. Find out if he's Justice League material, then report back. Now, do I have any volunteers?"

Looking around the table, Olivia could see that no one else was jumping up to baby sit the possible rookie. She knew it was a good chance to get a little easy work in, especially with the baby and all, and she would be the best candidate to sit in the bleachers and still be able to help at a moment's notice. What kind of response she would get for volunteering, she'd find out in a moment.

"I'll do it," she said, putting a gloved hand palm-down on the table. "I can stay back far enough to be out of the way and still make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." Under her breath, she added, "Besides, it'd be nice to see my replacement in action."

Marvel frowned. "What was that?"

She shrugged. "I'll tell you in a few months, maybe." As soon as she said it, she knew it was a lie; he was the current leader of the Justice League. He had the right to know what was going on with his members. It didn't mean it was going to be any easier to tell him, though. She had managed to stutter for almost ten minutes before she managed to let Kamal know, and she had known him for years. He admitted having his suspicions on the subject, until a couple days ago, however.

"All right, Olivia, you'll go down and meet with Steel. He's already been made aware that a member of the League will be seeing him soon, so all you have to do is show up. The address is in the main computer."

Pressing her lips together, she nodded. Even on the Satellite, it seemed that no one could get out of the habit of calling her by her name. Fortunately, they managed to _somehow_ remember it when they were on the ground, in action, at least.

"If that is all, then this meeting is adjourned." Marvel turned around, and the seven of them stood up. She touched Aidan's arm gently before he left, and he turned back, eyebrows raised questioningly.

"I'll let him know what's going on," Olivia said. "You go do whatever it is you speedsters do to let off some steam."

"Got it." He was gone before the last syllables reached her ears, and she sighed, walking up to Marvel. He frowned slightly and she wrung her hands together.

"Hey, Cap, I uh….we have…well, it's not so much a _problem_, as it is a situation on our hands," she began. "I know there were times when there were old League members who sort of were…you know... they were only around sometimes, like Batman and all."

"That was the old Batman," Marvel told her. "Kamal seems a bit more…solid than his father was. He knows that he can do more good here than he can only in Gotham. I would have thought you'd be more concerned with Flash leaving than Kamal."

Olivia tried hard not to glare. "Go easy on Aidan," she said. "He's going to be a father soon."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. And...I'm sorta going to be the mother." She looked up, realizing her eyes had traveled down to the table. Her fingers hurt as she wrung them, but it let her keep her concentration. The somewhat shocked look on Marvel's face was starting to be the normal reaction she was getting.

"Oh. Well, if you're that concerned we have positions up here in the Satellite that you can take. There's always a need for someone on monitor duty."

Olivia allowed a relieved smile. "I was hoping you'd say something like that," she admitted. "But that's not my main concern. I'm worried if this leaks out to the public. It's only a matter of time before I can't hide it any longer, and we may have to deal with a lot of conservative backlash when it's learned that an unmarried teen in the Justice League is pregnant. Besides, I don't want anyone to know. If someone gets the bright idea of hurting my- _our_- baby, there's no guaranteeing someone won't end up in the morgue."

"Well, as for the pregnancy, when people find out, they'll just have to deal with the facts," Marvel said. Olivia was somewhat surprised; she hadn't expected that to come from him, of all the Leaguers. "As for the second, the Satellite is safe. If you're here, then none of those crazed lunatics you're worried about should be able to get to you."

Olivia nodded. "Good. Just so we all know what's going on. Oh, and could you sorta…keep this quiet for a little while? There's no reason for the rest of the League to suspect until there's something to see."

"Who else knows?" Marvel asked.

"Bats and D. Other than that, just you."

He nodded. "No problem."

She smiled again. "All right. I've got an address to get and a transporter to catch." She made her way out of the conference room, and back through the halls. She ducked into the small locker room that had her name on it, and put on her normal street clothes over the costume. There was no reason to show up on a man's doorstep in complete get-up, especially when she didn't know what kind of response she would get. Not being one of the more well-known of the group, Olivia liked hiding in the shadows and staying out of the limelight. She could do more damage from there, anyway. Finally, she made her way to the monitor room. Dealer- D, as she always called him- was sitting at the main station. He looked up when he saw her, smiling somewhat.

"You're going to Detroit," he said, his voice it's usual eerie quiet. "Apartment 1009, 338 West Boulevard."

Olivia nodded, stepping up onto the transporter pad. "Okay, anything else I need to know?"

"No. But I will let you know if I have anything." With that, she was enveloped in blue light, and appeared in a small, dingy hallway. Looking up, she saw a door with 1009 written- actually _written_- on it. Sighing, she knocked on the door and waited.

The man who answered had the same green eyes and red hair as the one in the holo, but that was where the similarities ended. He was wearing a sweat-soaked muscle shirt, holding a 120-lb weight in his right hand. He looked over her quickly. "Can I help you?"

"Steel?" she asked quietly.

He frowned somewhat. "Who's asking?"

"The Justice League sent me," she said, showing him her ID card. He opened his eyes a little wider, then moved out of the doorway.

"Please, come in. Sorry about the mess." He definitely had something to apologize for. The place was a small, one bedroom apartment. The living room had a single TV propped up on milk crates, though most of it taken up by gym equipment. Lying around were towels and clothes, and through the kitchen doorway she could see the counter littered with cans, some soda, some beer, and empty pizza boxes. The only wall decoration was a single posted pinned onto the wall of some blonde supermodel.

"Nice bachelor pad," Olivia said, as she stepped around a discarded shirt.

"Thanks," he said. "Not to be rude and all, but who are you again?"

"Green Arrow," she replied. The look on his face told her that he had heard of her before.

"You're Green Arrow?" he asked. "Wow, I never thought…I mean….that bank heist in Seattle two weeks ago. That was some nice work."

"I didn't think news like that traveled all the way out here," she said.

"Yeah, well, you are a member of the Justice League and all. Besides, I've been sorta keeping tabs on you off and on, whenever something shows up in the newspaper. I'm sort of a fan."

Olivia tried hard not to roll her eyes. _Damn, am I glad I'm out of the dating scene._ "Right. Well, the League sent me to check on you. They're looking into asking you to join, but you're going to have to prove it to us first. You and I are gonna go out on a little test. Rules of the test: Don't confuse hot dogging with actually doing something. I'm guilty of that myself. Secondly, I'm only going to be watching, and I won't be interfering unless I need to. I'll be way behind you. Way behind you; it is why I'm called Green Arrow, after all."

Steel nodded. "So, what are we doing?"

Olivia shrugged. "That's up to you," she said. "It's all part of the test. You tell me what you think we should be doing. Stopping a bank heist, or a store robbery, or going after the corporations. It's all your choice."

Steel seemed to be thinking for a moment. "All right," he said finally. "I guess…we should patrol the city."

_That's an easy answer_ Olivia thought. "All right. But you're not doing it in that, are you?"

"Huh?" he looked down, at his sweat-stained clothes. "Oh, right, let me get changed real quick." As he disappeared into the single bedroom, Olivia took the moment to get out of her street clothes, and was standing there in her costume when he returned. He seemed a bit surprised, but frowned. "Uh, if you're Green Arrow, where's your bow?"

She gave him an ironic smile, reaching into the small pocket and pulling out a green Zippo. Flipping it quickly, it expanded, folding out into her bow. His eyes went wide. "Are we ready?" He nodded, going over to the window. He leapt out-

-and fell directly to the ground, causing the entire building, and the buildings around him, to shake. The pavement was even somewhat crumpled underneath him.

"Yeah, you get an A plus in collateral damage," she muttered to herself, climbing down the fire escapes nimbly. She wasn't about to be outdone by a three-ton muscle head. Once she had gotten down to the street, Steel went off, and she followed behind, ready to assist- as, with what she had seen from him already, she certainly would have to do.


	4. Chapter 4 A Typical Gotham Night

It was just after eleven on the east coast; specifically, in Gotham. Batman was just finishing a few more pieces for his arsenal, listening to the police bands. It was Gotham; something was bound to happen. Conveniently, he had just finished up when he heard a lead.

"…ambulance and coroner to the SPCA. Repeat…"

Smiling grimly to himself at the perfect timing, Batman made his way quickly from the cave to the streets of Gotham, out to the SPCA. It was set up on a small plot of land, one rancher house and a half dozen campers sitting on the lot. There were three squad cars already there, and a few police wandering about the area. From the way they were acting, batman suspected they were there more to baby sit the crime scene than to do anything there; they were standing around, sweeping their flashlights through the darkness. It was easy enough to avoid the lazy arcs, and he made his way into the first camper.

Inside, the walls would have been covered in cages of all sizes, meant to hold animals. As it currently was, the cages were thrown around, food and water lying all over. Every cage was empty, as was the rest of the place; all the animals had been taken out. He could find no evidence of animal blood, and the fur he found could easily be considered nothing more than simple shedding. On the floor he found five separate sets of footprints, one much larger than the others. The footprints were made of mud, and he quickly took a sample before slipping out, looking at the other five campers. They were all more or less in the same condition, except that one camper still had two rabbits and a possum left inside. He took photos of the animals, then made his way to the rancher. The police tape was up over the front door; a minor inconvenience only.

Once inside, Batman saw the real reason that the coroner was needed. In the living room were two corpses, and elderly couple. They were both sitting in chairs, shot. The window was broken, glass lying inside; someone had broken into the rancher. There were footprints again in here, the same as one of the others he had already seen in the campers. Looking over the scene thoroughly, Batman noted a few key clues: the couple was not attempting to stand up, and they were shot while they were seated; the man was shot three times, once in the chest and twice in the head; the woman was shot once, in the chest. He traced the path of the bullet, and managed to find the remains of the bullet that had gone through the woman and the chair she sat in. Palming it quickly, he slipped back out, as the ambulance rolled up.

As he was on his way out, he looked down at the ground. In the mud he found a set of tire tracks, tires that would usually be found on a corporate panel truck. Snapping a few more quick photographs, he made his way back off of the lot, to the Bat mobile, and back to the cave. In the few minutes it took to get back to the cave, he mentally went over the clues he had gathered. There were missing animals, except for three. It seemed that the couple, only a few hours dead, were caught unawares; either they were unaware of the thefts, or they were killed beforehand.

Once he returned, he scanned the bullet and managed to get into the Gotham ballistics records. While he waited for the computer to come up with a positive match, he started to examine the mud sample. It didn't take very long for him to get the basic components, and he found an unusual abundance of nitrates, usually found in fertilizer. Whoever was there, either trampled through a freshly-landscaped garden, or was from one. It was a place to start.

It was still early that night, and he once again went out into Gotham darkness. There were many hours left, many hours for the assorted scum to be causing trouble in his city. While he waited for the results on the ballistics search, there was no reason for him not to go back out and crack a few more skulls.


	5. Chapter 5 The Test

It was just past midnight in Detroit, and Olivia was starting to feel exhaustion. Unfortunately, it wasn't just from following Steel for the past twelve hours; she was certain of that. She had felt more energetic after a twenty hour stakeout. _I'm getting too pregnant for this_.

Steel was about a hundred yards ahead of her. They had wandered the city, stopping purse snatchers and muggings that seemed to be ubiquitous in the city, and even a murder or two was stopped with all the finesse of an elephant trampling an egg. It wasn't hard work; she followed him, he would beat the perpetrators, the police would arrive, and they would move on. Most of the time, Olivia wasn't even seen, and she only had to fire her bow twice; once when a third mugger suddenly appeared from the shadows behind Steel, and again when she had to remind him (with a slight tap to the back of the head with a blunt arrow) that they were there to stop crime, not pick up a girlfriend.

She paused for a moment as her communicator chirped. She brought it up to her lips, whispering into it softly. "Green Arrow."

"It is Dealer."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?"

"The alarm at the Detroit Museum of Art is about to sound."

"Detroit has a-"

Dealer cut her off quickly. "The alarm went off. You should make your way there as soon as possible."

Olivia put the communicator away and ran forward somewhat. "Steel, we've got something. Detroit Museum of Art. You know where it is?"

He nodded. "I think so, but I've never been inside."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "For some reason, that doesn't surprise me. We have to hurry up." She started to follow Steel, who was striding easily down the street. _I'm gonna have to have another check up when this is all over. I shouldn't be this tired._

Finally, they made their way to the museum, where they stood outside. The alarm was indeed going off, as she looked over. "Well," Steel asked. "What's the plan?"

She pulled back, eyeing the roof and letting go. The arrow hit the roof and stuck, and she pulled on the attached rope, making certain it was secured. "You first. Wait for me on the roof." Steel nodded, and she watched as he climbed up the rope quickly. She followed just after him, pulling the trailing rope up behind her until she got to the roof. Once there, she saw the skylight was already open. "Looks like this wasn't an original idea," she said quietly.

"Why?"

"Keep your voice down!" she hissed. "The skylight's already open." She went over and looked down, peering into the museum. She could see no movement, and saw a rope, already hanging down into the museum. "You first."

Instead of using the rope, Steel jumped down, making the entire building shake. She winced. "You want to be careful? Art isn't something to be toyed with. It's delicate."

"Oh. Sorry."

Olivia rolled her eyes, climbing down into the museum. Around her were paintings, all impressionist. She smiled somewhat; her style had always been more realistic, but she loved to look at it nonetheless. After a moment, she reminded herself of the mission, and started to look around. There was a door off to the left that was cracked open slightly. She snapped her fingers to get Steel's attention, then pointed to the door with a nocked arrow. He nodded and went in first, though she was just behind him, trying to walk quietly- not that anyone would hear her over his loud footsteps.

Once inside the door, she saw the entire room covered in Egyptian art. There were columns in the corners, decorated with imitation hieroglyphs. Busts and paintings were by the walls, as well as small artistic artifacts. In the very center was a golden sarcophagus, which Steel was leaning over.

"Don't touch that," Olivia hissed.

He turned to look at her, then back down at the sarcophagus. "I won't."

It didn't matter; in a moment, Olivia felt the floor shake slightly, and she watched as one of the pillars began to fall. She cried out to Steel, who turned in time to see the pillar falling. She tried to get to him, but she was too slow; the pillar fell right onto him. Underneath, she could hear him struggling to push the heavy pillar off him. She couldn't really do much for him, at that point; besides, she saw a flash of movement heading back out into the main room.

Olivia ran through the door, bow pulled back and ready. Once she entered, she saw a man standing underneath the rope. He was dressed in loud oranges and purples, a hat with a large feather sticking out of it, and a saber strapped to his hip. "All right, Porthos, that's far enough."

He turned and looked at her, a slight smile on his lips. "Ah, my eyes do trick me, it would seem," he said. His tone was thoroughly dramatic, as if he were playing to an audience only he could see. "That a fair maiden would be in this place at this time of the night, 'tis not becoming."

"Yeah, can it," she said. She eyed the small case that he had against his back, long and round. "Drop the pool cue and step away."

He gave her a slight laugh. "My dear, these matters are for men. Now, step aside so I've no need to mar your beauty."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Drop it."

He only smiled again. "I bid you farewell, midnight beauty." He began to climb up the rope. Olivia pulled back, eyeing the rope as her arrow flicked through it, severing it. Though he fell, he fell no more than a foot, and was able to catch himself easily. "It is uncommon to see such danger in such a woman. I find it…alluring."

"Taken, thanks," she growled, pulling back, creating another arrow. "Now, the pool cue."

He started to walk forward, talking as he did so. "Though your skills are quite impressive, I've still no need to explain a man's duty. Now, if you would be so kind as to step aside, we can part ways amiably, with no need to shed blood." As he came closer, Olivia put her bow down to her side, reaching out and grabbing the front of his shirt, holding his face close. He tried to swing with his right hand, but Olivia batted the hand away. He sighed. "I see I have been bested," he said. "Still, there is no shame to be bested by one who is both skilled and beautiful."

"I already told you to can it," she said. "Now, the case. Cough it up."

"Yes, well." She pushed him away, pulling at the saber so that it fell to the ground with a clang. "You don't mind if I smoke to your success?" He pulled out a small snuff box from his cloak, and opened it. Before Olivia had a chance to react, he blew a powder into her face. Immediately, she began to sneeze. Unable to control the sneezing, she fell down to her knees, her face red, and not just from the sneezing; she had been overpowered by _sneezing powder_.

By then, the Shakespeare reject had escaped through the back door, and Steel came up to her. "Are you all right?" he asked.

She sneezed a few more times, blowing her nose on the inside of her tunic (much to Steel's discomfort) before she could get herself under control again. "Yeah. The bastard got away with something." She got up, going back into the room.

"I thought you said he got away, why aren't we going after him?" Steel asked.

Olivia didn't stop looking around as she answered. "I'm not sure where's he headed, unless you saw where he ran to. Besides, we need to know what he stole. Ah, here we go." She looked at the empty case, and the plaque under it, a small blurb about an artifact called the Sword of Ramses. "We have to get out of here. The police are going to show up in a little bit, and we should be out of their way." She went over to the skylight again, using another arrow with a rope attached to it, climbing back out.

"But, you're in the Justice League," Steel argued. "Shouldn't you be working with the police?"

"The police do their thing," Olivia said. "I let 'em. They know what they're doing. In the meantime, we'll see if we can get a little more information on Porthos."

"Who?"

"The flamboyant one who stole the sword."

"Ah."

Once they were on the roof, Olivia pulled out her communicator. "D, you there?"

"Yes."

"Good. Tell me what you know about the Sword of Ramses."

He sighed. "Well, it was a sword used by the pharaoh…"

"Cut the act, D. I meant what kind of powers might it have? Why would someone want to steal it? The guy got away."

"Yes, I should have warned you about the snuff box," he said. "It is said that the sword was the reason that Ramses was victorious against the Hittites. Occult rumor has it that whoever has the sword will be victorious in any battle they are in."

"That really doesn't narrow the field," Olivia sighed. "Anyone could want that sword. All right, thanks D. I need a ride back to the Satellite." She turned to Steel. "I think you can make your way home from here, right? This is your city, after all." He nodded. "Good. We'll be in touch." As she spoke, the light coalesced around her, and a moment later she found herself back up on the Satellite. Dealer was sitting at the monitor, his face calm, as usual.

"Olivia, I need to ask you a question."

Olivia felt her gut twist uncomfortably, and she knew it wasn't the baby. Dealer usually had the answers; he didn't _need_ to ask questions. "What's up?" she asked, sitting down at the computer, putting in her report.

"I have been having a recurring dream," he said. "It is very disturbing. I have a distinct sense of dread, and a woman in a black jumpsuit with silver bands. Do you recognize this figure?"

Olivia thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Nope. Can't say I do."

"Hmmm. I think it may be worth you looking into."

She frowned, pausing in her report. "Have you asked Batman? He is the resident detective here, after all. If you wanted to find her, you should ask him."

"I suppose, but I felt I should ask you first."

Olivia shrugged. "Sorry, D. If you find out anything else I can try to search, but until then, you should probably talk to Batman. He's better at the whole sleuthing business than I am."

"I see. Thank you."

"No, thank you," she said, finishing her report. "And by that, I mean thanks for sending me back home to LA. I need to crawl into bed and not move for the next twelve hours."

"The fatigue-"

"My doctor will tell me about the fatigue, not you," she growled. "I don't need pregnancy advice from a sixteen year old boy. Just take me home, okay?"

Dealer nodded, and she stepped up onto the transporter pad. The light formed around her again, and she found herself standing in the apartment she shared with Aidan. It was small, even by apartment standards; a studio apartment, with a single wall of large windows looking out over the city's downtown area. The single main room was separated by a Japanese folding screen, with the bed and a set of dressers on the one side, a TV, couch, and computer desk on the other. The kitchen was small, though the breakfast bar between it and the main room took the place of a table. There was also a small bathroom behind the kitchen. Though it was small, it didn't fell cramped; mostly because both she and Aidan were rarely there at the same time, and when they were, it wasn't for long.

Sighing at the empty apartment, Olivia changed into a set of silk pajamas and collapsed onto the bed. The clock by the bedside showed 1:37 AM in glowing red. Managing to crawl under the covers, she closed her eyes.

"I didn't know it was my birthday," she heard Aidan say. "I wonder what's all wrapped up in here." He pulled the blankets back. "Oh, perfect gift."

Though she was exhausted, she couldn't help but look up and smile. "I didn't expect you home this early," she mumbled.

"Easy night," he said. "Mind if I join you?"

"Knock yourself out. I'm about to." She closed her eyes again, pulling the blankets back up over her shoulders. It was October, and it was starting to get cold, especially at night. A second later she felt the bed behind her depress, and Aidan's hand on her side. "Good night," she managed to get out, before she fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6 Sidekicks

It was nearly two AM in Gotham, when Batman noted something out of the ordinary; a Mack truck parked in front of Gotham National Bank. Besides there being another entry for trucks around the back, the bank was closed for another three hours yet. Pulling the Bat mobile into an alley, he made his way to the rooftop of the building across the street and looked down at the scene. Inside the truck's cab he saw one man, smoking a cigarette, tapping his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel.

Moving silently, Batman made his way down to the street, waiting. As the man brought the cigarette to his mouth, he flicked his wrist, sending a razor wing into the cab, knocking the cigarette out of the man's hand. He screamed as Batman jumped up onto the hood, glaring down at him. He managed to get out of the cab and took off down the street. Looking over at the bank, he noted that the glass doors had an oval hole in them, the edges melted. Inside, he saw two more men, both with Uzi's. They were starting to come to the door, to see what the screaming was all about.

As Batman was about to rush into the bank, the sound of screeching car wheels halted him. Hoping up onto the curb was a black car, with a large red stripe down the side. Out of the car came two figures. The first was a male, just shorter than himself, wearing a more modern style of the Robin outfit he had seen in the Bat cave. From the other door came a decidedly female figure, all in deep purple and black. He frowned as the two ran forward. This Robin ran in, taking out the two men with Uzis easily, as the Batgirl took to the air, her cape housing a small rocket beneath it. Batman managed to throw a smoke pellet to disguise their entry, as she made her way to the back, where three more men waited. Two had guns, and the other was working on the vault door with a flamethrower. She took out one man, and Robin took out the other, leaving the man with the flamethrower for Batman. It didn't take him very long to dispatch of the last one, and the three of them were left standing in the bank.

"It's really you," Batgirl said. "You're the Batman. I can't believe it."

"Relax, it might be an imposter," Robin replied.

"Are you kidding? Did you see how he moved? You are Batman, aren't you?"

He looked at the two of them. They were much slighter than he had at first thought, and their voices were somewhat immature. They were kids, probably no older than fifteen or sixteen. "Yes. We shouldn't be having this discussion here."

"Where then?" Robin asked.

Batman turned and walked out, pointing up to the roof of the building across the street. As he began to climb up, he saw two projectiles whiz past, as the two shot grappling hooks out, riding the retractable lines up to the roof. They were waiting for him by the time he got there.

"Those are some interesting toys you have there," he said. "Where did you get them from?"

"I built them," Batgirl said.

"I built the Red Wing," Robin said.

She turned to him with a sneer. "Yeah, and who told you that you had the engine in backwards, and that the spark plugs were in wrong, and that you needed to calibrate the brakes before we took it out?"

There was a moment of silence. "Mom always liked you better," he muttered. _So, brother and sister_ Batman thought to himself.

"Regardless, aren't you both a little young to be out here doing this?" he asked.

Batgirl waved her hand dismissively. "Young is only as old as you act," she said. "If a kid loses his family when he's six, is he really young anymore?" Batman just looked at her. "Besides, with you being in the Justice League, someone had to make certain that Gotham stayed safe."

"Batman has a lot of influence here, so we figured we'd use that image to keep the city safe," Robin said. "We live here, too."

"How long have you been patrolling the city?" he asked.

Batgirl shrugged. "Probably no more than a few months."

"Thanks. I'll make certain to spend a little more time here, then. You two ought to get home. It's getting late, and it's a school night."

Robin glared at him. "We can take care of ourselves," he said.

"We're not as young as you might think," Batgirl said. "Especially living here. Besides, we're your sidekicks now, whether you like it or not."

"Who made you leader?" Robin asked.

"I'm older."

"By three minutes!"

"This is interesting and all, but the city needs me." He walked over to the side of the building, dropping off. He was out of sight by the time the two of them could look over the side, making his way back to the mansion. Twins who lived in Gotham and had lost their parents at age six; it wasn't going to be difficult to find out who they were. When he returned to the cave, he checked on the bullet; nothing. The gun was either new, or had not been used in a crime before. That was at least something to start with.

Putting that information aside, he began to search through the obituaries of the past ten years. After only forty minutes of searching, he managed to come across something promising. It was a listing of a prominent scientific couple, Dr.'s Callahan, who had lived in Gotham. They had both been killed in a lab accident ten years ago, and were survived by twins, Kate and Kevin. They had gone to live with an aunt in Gotham, and had fallen out of the papers since. It was simple to get the aunt's name and address.

He was back out in a little bit, on his way across town. It took little more than fifteen minutes to find the penthouse that they were living in. Through the window, he saw the two of them. The boy, Kevin was sitting at the television, playing some video game. From the kitchen came Kate, reading a Popular Mechanics magazine. She shook her head and made her way into her room, where she sat down on her bed. He made his way to the windowsill, where he tapped gently. She looked up, her eyes going wide and she threw the magazine down, opening the window. He stepped in, as she backed up.

"Batman! Wh-what are you doing here?"

"It wasn't hard to find twins orphaned at six living in Gotham," he said.

She frowned. "How did you know I wasn't making that up?" she asked.

"Your face."

"Oh." By then, Kevin had torn himself away from the video game and came in. Batman nodded to him, as Kate moved out of the way. "So, why are you here?"

"I've got a case I'm working here in Gotham," he said. "The break in and murder at the SPCA. I'm giving you two a chance to show me what you've got, besides toys."

"They aren't toys!" Kevin exclaimed.

"What can we do to help?" Kate said quickly. Her cheeks were slightly red. _Perfect. A minor with a crush_.

"There were animals taken from the shelter, all cats and dogs. And two people were murdered. What's the next step?"

"Well, animals are usually used for dermatological testing," Kevin said. "We could check pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies, to see if they test on animals."

"Or, we could check the docks and the truck depots," Kate suggested. "We can see if there are any sales of animals going out. They might try to smuggle them through on a shipment that already has live cargo, since they'll already have the needed permits. We see if there are any shipments running over weight. That way, we can see where they're being sold."

Batman made certain that his approval was not shown on his face. Neither of them was stupid, and it seemed they both had a head on their shoulders. That was something, at least. He turned to Kate. "Get ready. We'll go check the docks. Kev- Robin, check out the pharmaceutical companies, see how many test on animals. We'll be back soon."

"Let me get my cape!" Kate ran off, coming back in only a minute as Batgirl again, a smile plastered to her face. "I'm ready!"

He made his way down to the street, Batgirl right behind him, and the two of them got into the Bat mobile. Her eyes were wide as she looked around. "I can't believe it," she whispered. "I'm actually _in_ the Bat mobile. This is amazing! What's this?"

"It's a link to the Bat computer," he said.

She pulled back slowly. "So, don't touch it, right?"

"Not yet," he said. He pulled away faster than he needed to, pushing Batgirl back into the seat. She lifted herself out of the soft leather, her eyes wide as the buildings shot past quickly. As he was nearing the docks, a call came through, from Minshi.

"Sir, I think you should know, there's been a death at Arkham asylum," Minshi said. "The victim was Dr. Jonathan Crane."

"Thank you," he said, turning the Bat mobile quickly, so quickly that Batgirl grabbed onto the dashboard, closing her eyes. "Change of plans."

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"Crane used to be known as the Scarecrow," Batman explained. "If he's dead, I have to find out who did it. It's not easy to get into Arkham. To get in and murder a patient is almost impossible." It was only a few minutes before they arrived at Arkham. There were already police in the area, which was cordoned off. They both got out, making their way around back. It was a simple matter of sneaking past the police barricade and getting up onto the roof, then into the attic. There was old medical apparatus everywhere, and Batgirl wrinkled her nose.

"So barbaric," she whispered. "Where was Crane being held? I might be able to find out something if I can get a look at the body."

"This way," Batman said. They made their way silently through the halls, until they paused in a hallway. Down the hall was a small room where police were questioning two orderlies. They both sat and waited, listening to the questions, and watched as Crane's body was wheeled out in a body bag. After the police had left, one of the orderlies followed, while one remained. After a moment, Batman dropped a pellet of knockout gas, and the orderly was unconscious in a moment. Slipping past the unconscious man, they made their way to the cell where Crane had been. Beyond the police tape was a padded cell with a small cot, a sink and toilet, and a rocking chair, the walls covered with a dozen degrees from various institutions.

"Wow, this guy was pretty smart," Batgirl said, as she went over to the body outline, in the corner. "There's blood here, probably consistent with a blow to the back of the head." She leaned over, looking down, talking out her rationale as she walked. "That means we have a murder weapon. The blood trails down here, into the hall….." She passed him, and finally stopped, halfway down the hall. "And here we have a partial footprint. Looks like it's from a sports sneaker."

Batman looked at it carefully. "Let's go pay the orderly another visit, hmm?" he went back into the room, where the man was still unconscious. On the edge of his sneaker was a small bloodstain. Batgirl had gone to the desk, and was on her back underneath it. He heard a ripping sound, and she sat up, holding a bloody billy club in her hand.

"We have a weapon."

Batman lifted the man and carried him up to the attic, attaching him to one of the abandoned gurneys. Once he was secured, he woke him none too gently. "Why?" he demanded. The man screamed as he opened his eyes. "I asked you a question."

"The money!" he managed to cry, his face pale and covered in sweat. "H-h-he's going to pay me five million, if I killed the doc!"

"When and where?"

"T-t-tomorrow night, the Rose. Eight PM!"

"Who is he?"

"I-I-I dunno his name!" the man stuttered. "He's tall, w-with a big mustache."

He got close and held a finger to his lips. "Shhh. Be silent until I come back." The man nodded, biting his lip. "Let's go. We've gotten all we can get from here."


	7. Chapter 7 Favors and Fear

Kamal was pleased to see the sudden buzz of nervous activity when he entered the board room of Wayne Enterprises the next afternoon. Though he was the CEO of the company, he was rarely there; with his presence came executives scuttling about, making certain to show how hard the office worked in his absence. He allowed them their discomfort; it only made them work harder.

In the board room, there was only one man who was calm in the midst of the chaos- Lucius Fox. He had been with Wayne Enterprises as long as Kamal could remember, and while he didn't say as much, Kamal suspected he knew of his exploits in the dark. He nodded and shook Kamal's hand as they both sat down.

"What can I do for you today, Mr. Wayne?" he asked, lacing his fingers together, a slight smile on his lips.

"I think that Wayne Enterprises has been increasingly distant from the people lately, Lucius," Kamal said. "We have to start getting pro active again. I was thinking about this, and I may have come up with some ideas."

"Well, we'll do whatever we can to make them happen," Lucius promised. "What do you have in mind, sir?"

"I was thinking of a youth initiative. There've been a lot of school funding deficits lately, especially in the inner cities. I can think of at least ten cities that could use music and art programs to inspire underprivileged children. I figure we could spend…oh, maybe thirty million on it. It should be a start, anyway, as long as we can get some people willing to go into these cities and school."

Lucius nodded. "I don't see a problem with that, Mr. Wayne. In fact, I think it might be just the PR story we could use. It'd certainly look good to the public at large."

He nodded, though that wasn't the reason he was suggesting it; again, he was a member of the League, and a fellow Leaguer could use his help. Using the guise of an art initiative not only helped the children in the cities, but it helped her, as well. He had seen Olivia's art, and while the symbolism was a bit blatant at times, it was damn good. And he suspected it would smooth things over with her parents if she had some sort of day job. After Aidan had planted the tracer on her after the restaurant incident, he had listened in on the conversations of the next couple days. They had all returned to her father worrying about her safety, especially being in the League, and how she would support her child. It was the least he could do to assuage that fear, especially if it would make things easier on her. He suspected that being pregnant and in her line of work was difficult enough; and, with the father also off on missions, she was still alone. Ironically, he wondered to himself how she and Aidan had found enough time together to even get her pregnant.

"It would help us get more support if we had some good names behind it," Kamal continued. "I was thinking that we could sign a few big names to get some publicity."

"Do you have anyone in mind, sir?" Lucius asked, in that tone that implied that he already knew the answer.

Kamal nodded. "I was thinking of getting Jack Martini as a start. A big name like that is sure to cause attention."

"I agree, Mr. Wayne."

He stood up, as did Lucius. "Well, that was a satisfying day of work," he joked. "I think it's time to head home for a little relaxation."

By relaxation, he had meant work. He was in the cave for hours, working on his disguise. When he was finished, he looked exactly like the orderly that was more than likely still being silent in the attic of Arkham Asylum, ready to meet the unknown man who had hired him to kill Crane. He put the disguise into the bat mobile, donned his cape and cowl, and made his way back to the suite of the Callahan's. Kate was the only one there, lying on her bed, looking at another magazine. Only when he let himself in did he see it was the Journal of Experimental Medicine. She jumped up immediately, obviously not expecting to see him. Again, there was a glazed-over look in her eye, much worse than it had been the night before.

"Come on, you'll be covering me while I meet with this anonymous employer."

"Shouldn't we go out to dinner first?" she asked, her voice mellow, somewhat disconnected.

"We're meeting him at a diner." He made his way back down to the street, Batgirl following quickly. The drive to the Rose was silent, as Batgirl kept looking at him, smiling slightly. It was a little flattering, but a little chilling at the same time; she was half his age, after all. They pulled into the alley behind the diner, and Batman took out the costume, palming a small knockout pellet with the other. "You're not ready to see this, yet," he said, breaking the capsule under her nose. She went out obediently, almost immediately, and he got changed, leaving a set of street clothes for her and a note on the dashboard as he went inside.

The diner was pretty small, and was doing a brisk if not busy business. There were certainly empty tables and booths, but the majority of them were full. He sat down at one booth, picking up the menu and looking at it. It was only five minutes later that he saw Kate, walking in and looking around. She sat down at a booth off to his right, and he waved slightly to her as she passed. Her face stayed calm, and she merely inclined her head slightly towards him; good. She sat down and put her purse on the floor, letting it fall sideways. A single small tube of lipstick fell out, and she kicked it over to him. As it rolled, he noted the small mesh on the very top of the tube; a listening device. He stopped it with his foot and turned it slightly, so she could hear better.

Not a moment after that, Batman found himself looking up at a man, wearing a large trench coat, a hat, and sunglasses. Beneath the glasses was a large, bushy mustache. He sat down across from him, folding his gloved hands together. "I trust you were successful?" he asked.

"Yeah, the old man's dead," Batman said, sounding very much like the orderly.

"So I suppose you want your money, then."

"It was the deal."

"Very well." He reached into the trench coat with one hand, pulling out a fist0shaped globe in the other. Quickly, he turned it, showing the face of a jack-o-lantern. Depressing the top, a gas began to pour out of the face. Batman held his breath, glancing quickly over at Kate. She was tossing him something from her purse- a rebreather. She already had one over her face. The people in the restaurant began to scream, then panic. Kate was dodging out of the way of people, and he felt someone grab at his clothes, tearing the shirt to reveal the Bat suit underneath. Discarding the disguise, he noted a flash of movement and the tall man was out the front door. Batgirl was just behind him. He heard wheels screeching against the pavement, as a car took off down the street.

He tossed a Batarang, holding on to the line as he started to slide down the street behind the car. Batgirl had taken to the sky, and was following using her jets. As he was pulling himself up to the rear fender, the back window was blown out in a hail of bullets. Batgirl flew up, crashing down onto the roof of the car, trying to shake up the passengers inside. As she landed, a sudden darkness covered the sky; a murder of ravens was swooping down on the area. Batman smiled, and pressed a small button on his belt. By the time he had gotten a hand on the fender, the murder was suddenly being assaulted by an entire cave of bats. The attack overheard was loud, as the car suddenly came to a stop. Batgirl flew off the front of the car, rolling into the gutter, and he barely caught himself.

"Ah, Batman, it seems that Gotham has it's demon back," a voice called from inside the car. Looking in, he saw no one there. "But, as the demon has returned, so have the shadows."

It was fortunate that Batgirl was only just getting herself out of the gutter; the car exploded, sending him back into a lamp post, and causing burning metal to fly up into the sky, the animals overheard scattering back into the winds. He picked himself up, as Batgirl came over to him.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

He nodded absently, thinking back to the warning. The question was, who exactly was the demon, and who was the shadow?


	8. Chapter 8 Silent Alert

Olivia was relaxing much of the next morning, enjoying the relatively light load that Marvel was giving her, what with her pregnancy. Aidan, however, was busy as was his usual; besides, sitting around wasn't much his style, anyway. It usually wasn't hers, either, but she was more than content to spend a morning relaxing by the windows and looking out at the city. She was thinking about the future; about her and Aidan, and about the baby, and how life would be changing afterwards. It was simultaneously exciting and terrifying.

The phone rang, breaking her out of her thoughts. She frowned as she walked over to the kitchen, where the single phone hung on the wall. The number on the caller ID was unfamiliar; it was, however, local. Olivia picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Yes, this is Brendan Smith with the Wayne Foundation, is Miss Queen available?"

"Speaking," she said, hoping that her voice did not betray the frown on her face. _What has Kamal got up his sleeve _this_ time?_

"Ah, Miss Queen, I was hoping we could get a hold of you. Recently, Mr. Wayne has given us the go ahead for a nation-wide art and music initiative in inner city schools. It just so happens that Los Angeles was on that list, and your resume has come to our attention."

Her frowned deepened; she had never written up a resume, let alone sent it to the Wayne Foundation. "Yes, well, I'm somewhat surprised at that. I…I didn't really include any artwork in it."

"Then perhaps you should bring your portfolio with you when you arrive at the interview. I have one set up for two this afternoon, at the Barnett Building downtown."

"Yes, I'm familiar with it," she said. "I will meet you at two, then."

"Excellent. Thank you, Miss Queen, and we look forward to meeting with you."

She was still frowning as she hung up, when she felt a gust of air next to her. Aidan. "Hey, I was in the neighborhood, and- what's wrong?"

She turned, shaking her head. "I just got a job offer," she said.

"No kidding? Well, that sounds good."

"Yeah, except I'm not prepared for the interview at two this afternoon." Olivia looked over at the clock. It was nearly eleven. "I have to get a portfolio of my works together by then."

"No problem, where do you keep your stuff?"

She shrugged. "Besides the couple paintings here? At home." She had barely finished the sentence when he was off again. Sighing somewhat, knowing that she should have known better, she started to root through the closet. There wasn't much there; mostly jeans, and a few t-shirts. She managed to find a single suit of Aidan's, a button down blue blouse of her own, and a pair of gray slacks. BY the time she had found them and put them down on the bed, Aidan had returned, his arms full of the art work he had taken from home.

"There's your portfolio," he said. "Gotta run. I'll see you in a bit." She barely registered the kiss on her cheek as he sped past her on the way through the door- literally. Smiling somewhat to herself, she began to go through the paintings. Some of them were definitely dated; she could tell not only from the date painted in green at the bottom left hand corner of each one, but at the quality of the work. As a joke (or, at least, she hoped it was a joke) Aidan had included a finger painting she had done when she could have been little more than three; herself, her mother, and her father, each one just a smear of color, with child's scribble over each head. She couldn't help but laugh; not only was it amusing that he put it in with the rest of her works, but she suspected that her father was going to be quite angry when he found out that the painting had been taken from the night stand.

Just as she finished putting together the dozen paintings she was going to bring with her, she heard her communicator beep. Sighing, she went over, touching the faceplate. "Green Arrow."

"Olivia, we have a level one priority emergency," Dealer said from the other end. "We have an energy surge in Chicago. I'm going to teleport you there with the others."

That was all the warning she had, and she was suddenly in an alley in Chicago. She was looking at a brick wall, but when she turned, she saw Captain Marvel, Flash, and Batman standing in the alley as well. Batman was knelt down, examining a man's corpse.

"What happened here?" Olivia asked, walking over.

"He was killed by a single blow to the neck," Batman said, putting his own gloved hand over the victim's neck. "It looks as if someone grabbed him here, one handed. then twisted the neck with the other hand. Front grip, right-handed killer. The kind of strength needed to do this is considerable. It would take a lot for me to do something like it."

"Not to mention the entire alley's cleared out, except for right here," Marvel said, pointing to the trash that had gathered on the back side of a dumpster. "It should be strewn across the alley."

Olivia frowned, turning again to look at the wall. "There was some sort of wind gust then?" she asked, as she went over to the wall. Looking down, she saw that debris had been pushed into the corners, but there was a space only a few inches in front of it that was completely cleared. "Looks like this is the epicenter. Someone came in here. Flew in pretty quick, or a teleport, maybe."

"Flash, check the city, see if you find anyone suspicious," Marvel ordered.

"More suspicious than at home," Olivia interjected.

"Got it!" He was gone by the time she turned around, as expected.

"Looks like he's been dead for only a couple minutes," Batman said. "Which puts it at the same time that Dealer noted the energy surge."

"Why would someone come to earth to kill a bum?" Marvel asked rhetorically.

"He probably wasn't the target," Olivia said. "He just happened to by lying in his way, I guess. Poor guy." Just then, Olivia frowned, as a stray thought struck her. "Dealer mentioned something about a woman in his dreams, she was going to cause trouble. She may be the one who caused this."

"What makes you think that?" Marvel asked.

Olivia shrugged. "Nothing. It was just something we could start with, at least."

"I have enough to start with," Batman said, standing up. "I'm going back u to the satellite to check out the energy readings, we may be able to cross reference them with something already in the computer."

"Before you go, I wanted to know how the Wayne Foundation got a hold of my resume," Olivia said. "The resume I never wrote."

Batman shrugged. "It was a simple matter of looking up your school records."

"They can't be _that_ extensive."

He narrowed his eyes, and proceeded to rattle off her preschool, elementary school, middle school, high school, and college names, the GPA in college and high school, the classes she had taken, and her extracurricular activities. Before she could say anything else, the blue light was around him, and he was gone.

"Well, looks like my files aren't all that private," she muttered. Marvel looked at her.

"Are you certain you want to be involved in this?" he asked. "It could be dangerous."

Olivia waved her hand dismissively. "I can handle it a little while longer. I'm not showing _that_ much, am I? You can barely see it yet." She pressed her hands against her shirt, doing little more than show her lack of a waist. There was a slight bulge, one that only she or Aidan- or of course, Kamal- would notice. "Besides, I can still do monitor duty. D's gotta sleep sometime."

Marvel nodded, though she thought he was a bit hesitant about it. "I'm going to keep an eye on the city; The Flash may be quick, but he can't be everywhere at once."

Olivia nodded, as he flew off, out of the alley. She pulled out her communicator. "D, take me home, and have the local authorities notified about the dead guy."

"Already done," Dealer said, and Olivia soon found herself back in the apartment. After a quick shower, she was dressed and almost halfway across town, standing in the elevator of the Barnett Building, her portfolio under her left arm. She had wanted to thank Kamal for the set up- as she knew it was definitely little more than that. They had known each other for quite a while, even before she had joined the League, and though they had their differences from time to time, she knew she could count on him if things got difficult. She also knew that he expected to stand godfather to her baby, and she doubted Aidan would have much say in changing that- not that she would have wanted him to.

As the elevator door opened, she entered a small reception area. There was a large desk on the far wall, with the Wayne Foundation logo above it on the wall. To the right of the desk was a large wooden door, and there were chairs scattered about. She walked up to the woman seated behind the desk, who looked up. "Can I help you, miss?"

"Yes, I have an appointment with Mr. Smith," she said.

"Go right in," she said, hitting a small switch on the other side of the desk. The doors opened, and Olivia walked in. A man was standing at the head of a V-shaped table, that terminated against a large wall. On the wall was a screen, with an older but still well-kept black man, his eyes sharp, and a similarly-shaped table in the background.

"Miss Queen, I'm Brendan Smith," the man in the room said, extending his hand. She shook it quickly, nodding. "And this is Mr. Lucius Fox, He's with us from Gotham."

"Mr. Fox," Olivia said, and the man on the screen nodded his head once.

"Miss Queen, your resume was rather impressive. I trust you brought some of your works with you?"

She nodded, as Smith took her portfolio, opening them to show the screen. "Yes, I have a few of them."

"Tell me about your work."

Olivia shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I prefer to paint more realism than anything else, though I am proficient in impressionism, as well. I like to use lighting and shadow to give them depth, more than color. Color does lend itself much better to the symbolism that way."

Fox nodded, and Smith put the paintings down on the table. "Miss Queen, this initiative is going to be targeting under funded schools in the city," he said. "This means that you will be working with children who are below the poverty line."

Olivia shrugged. "I don't mind," she said. "In fact, I'd be glad to help. These kids get forgotten too much as it is; someone has to take responsibility and give them a chance to do something with their lives, other than become slaves to minimum wage jobs."

Fox again nodded. "I'm glad we understand each other, then," he said. "We'll be contacting you in a few days, after the rest of the interviews have been conducted. Thank you, Miss Queen."

Olivia nodded, taking her portfolio as she left, the door closing. Though she paused for a moment, the door was too heavy to hear through, and she made her way back to the elevator. Not long after she was back at the apartment, bringing up an area map of Chicago. Though Kamal had casually dismissed her concerns, she had a strange feeling that the incident was connected to Dealer's warning. Another disturbing thought preyed on her mind, as well; Dealer had gone to _her_. She wasn't the most well-known of the League, and wasn't the most popular among it's members, either- she had broken one's nose at one point, and had fist fights with almost every one except Marvel and Batman. If he had trusted her with the information, than she had to do something about it.

It didn't take her very long to bring up the maps that she wanted, and she began to pour over them, spending the rest of the afternoon learning the nighttime hot spots of Chicago. It would be a place to start.


	9. Chapter 9 Red Alert

Back on the Satellite, Batman was still waiting for the database to identify the power surge. Marvel was there as well, keeping an eye out for any more suspicious activity in Chicago on the news stations and police bands. Dealer was also nearby, watching. He had said nothing since Batman had come back, and he wasn't sure if that was good, or bad; good that he finally shut his mouth, bad because that meant he still had no answers.

Finally, the computer came back with a positive match. "Marvel, you better take a look at this."

The other man frowned, coming to the console and leaning over the back of the chair. "What did you find?"

"The energy signature that we registered a couple hours ago was finally identified," he said. "It's Apokoliptian."

Marvel looked at him for a moment, then back at the screen. "Are you certain?"

Batman nodded. "I'm running a search of the database for anything that the former League had on Apokolips. I can't say I'm too familiar with it; there was no need to pass down that information, not when we thought the threat was neutralized."

"Neutralized how?" Marvel asked.

Batman shrugged. "I just know it was thought to be neutralized. Ah, here we go," he interjected, as the results came up on his screen. He looked over the information quickly, feeling a sour knot in his gut as he did. "Now, if Apokolips is so evil, and has such power, why would they go to Chicago and kill a single homeless man in an alley?"

Marvel shook his head. "I suppose we'll have to wait and see what this killer's next action is. That should explain his real motives," he said. "However, if this energy signature is Apokoliptian, then we should be able to scan for more of the same energy, right?"

Batman nodded. "Theoretically. Unfortunately, we don't know what creates this energy. And according to this, there's an Apokoliptian already on earth. A Scott Free in Kentucky, also known as Mr. Miracle. He owns an amusement park there."

"So, we have a comparable bio signature to work with."

"The problem is our computers aren't designed to pinpoint something that specific," Batman explained. "If it were maybe a dozen of them moving together it would be different. As it is, we can't even find Free if we wanted to, and we know where to look. Chicago is a big city, and the radiations from not only the nuclear power plants nearby, but the office building electronics and the wireless systems would make it all but impossible."

"I'd only believe that if you said it," Marvel muttered. "Then we go back to doing it the old fashioned way. Batman, I need you to keep at the computer. See if you can find out why Darkseid would be interested in Chicago, of all places. See if there's anything hiding there that's worth stealing or destroying."

"Off the top of my head, I can think of one thing," he said. "The nuclear power plants I mentioned earlier."

Marvel nodded. "I'll have the Flash patrol them. I'll be down in the city proper."

Batman was about to argue, but then shrugged. "Flash? All right. He's already spawned, anyway." He felt the glare from Marvel and smiled somewhat. He went back to the computer, until Marvel stepped up onto the teleporter pad and disappeared. As soon as he did, batman reached to his belt, removing a rather bulky square object. Quickly, he linked in to the Bat computer and began to run his own search on both Apokolips and Darkseid. What he found was even more disturbing.

The records on the Satellite had been generalized, even spotty, but his father's records were impeccable. They mentioned a quest for the Anti-Life equation, rumored to be on earth, and that twenty years ago, Darkseid had come to earth in an attempt to steal his father's history. Other than that, they merely filled in the holes left in the League's computers. Sighing to himself, he went back to working with the League's computers, hoping to find a lead before anyone else was killed.


	10. Chapter 10 Tradition

It was late night in Chicago. After studying the city maps, she found the busiest section of town and settled in to wait; if they wanted to move about without causing attention, she'd be able to find them from her vantage point, atop a building across from a large restaurant. The area of the city itself was a slum, but the restaurant was well-kept and well-built, despite the disarray around it. Pulling up to the restaurant was a long black stretch limo. It stopped, and a somewhat over muscled man got out of the driver's door, dressed in a very fine suit. Even from her vantage point on the roof she could smell the garlic that seemed to be emanating from him like an air freshener designed to repel vampires. He went around to the other side and opened the door, allowing an overweight man to waddle out, making his way into the restaurant.

Olivia ground her teeth, tightening her grip on the bow. "Damn pig," she growled under her breath. "Getting fat off of the poorest people."

"I can't say I don't share your sentiment."

Olivia spun, coming up from her crouched position, bow pulled back and ready to fire. Standing in front of her was a man-sort of. He was at least six and a half feet tall, and almost just as wide. The bronze and gold wings that were folded behind him were double that, and he wore a red bandolier over his otherwise uncovered hairy chest. Sitting at his hip was a very large, very heavy-looking stick. "Put the bow down, girl. I'm not here to hurt you."

"What are you here for?" Olivia demanded.

He gestured with the hawk-like helmet to the restaurant. "The man down there is Vinny the Nose. He is going to shut down that restaurant in a few minutes. Ten minutes from now, another limo will pull up with a representative of the Carlino family. They run the docks. And I'm going to stop them from getting a stranglehold on the city."

Olivia looked down at the restaurant again. It wasn't her problem; she was looking for the murderer who had shown up in the strange energy that the satellite had picked up. Still, if she wasn't good for doing something like this, what was she good for? "How can I help?"

"You-" There was a pause as he cut himself off mid-sentence. "The Carlino's are here. It's too early. It must be a raid." He turned back to her, pulling the stick from his belt. Suddenly, the top became a giant mallet head, swirling with deep red, almost purple plasma. "Clear out that restaurant. There are innocent people in there." He flew off, down the street.

Olivia turned, grabbing a small box out of her belt. She pressed a few buttons on the edge, then set it on the back of her bow. Pulling back, she fired at the front door. A hologram appeared, of a dozen men opening fire. She released a single sonic arrow, causing the glass to shatter. People began to scatter, running as quickly as they could out of the way. As she was making her way down t street level, she noted three men come out with guns, surrounding Vinny the Nose.

She pulled back again, closing her eyes at the last moment against the blinding light. Before they had a chance to recover, she was standing on the sidewalk, bow pulled back. "Drop them." she ordered.

Obediently, the three of them did, running. Vinny, however, wasn't going to give up there; he made a run for the limo. Olivia let the arrow go, pinning it into the driver's door handle. The fat man turned and started to run down the street.

Sighing, Olivia pulled back again, and let fly. As soon s the arrow hit, the street around him turned to ice, reaching up over his expensive shoes to hold him in place. Leisurely, she walked over, watching as he struggled to free himself. She stood in front of him, bow pulled back again. "Bad evening for business."

He looked up, then past her, his face turning white. As she turned, she noticed the winged man fly over, grabbing him ad pulling him right off the street. Without a word, he flew off. Behind her, Olivia heard an explosion.

"You're welcome," she growled at him, turning back. There were a few people running from the fire, dropping their guns on the street as they did. She smiled somewhat to herself; not what she had expected, but all in all, not a bad night.


	11. Chapter 11 Removing the Head

After a night with no leads in Chicago, Marvel was back up on the satellite, searching through the news bullets for anything out of the ordinary. He was almost ready to abandon the search when he suddenly hit on a promising lead. He turned to the others in the Satellite: Dealer and Batman. "I think we've got something. There was a murder recently, in the Chrysler Building. A doctor and nurse were murdered, seemingly by hand, strangulation and neck fracture."

Batman nodded, standing up. "Sounds like our first real lead. Let's get there before the police ruin the crime scene any further."

Marvel nodded, and the two of them went up onto the transporter pad, finding themselves a few moments later in the hallway of the twelfth floor of the Chrysler building. Police tape was cordoning off the room directly in front of them, though the door was open. Inside were two bodies, chalk outlines already drawn around them, the files inside a mess. They walked in, startling the police who were already there. Batman let Marvel handle them; he had a job to do.

Looking through the files that lay scattered on the floor, he noted one thing immediately; the names were all feminine. Taking a closer glance, he noted that one had a prescription blank inside, stating the issuer as a Doctor Cove, OB/GYN. Moving around, he went to the computer. It was still on, though the screen was blank. Tapping the mouse gently, the screen obediently flickered on, showing him a patient list. While Marvel managed to convince the police to leave things in their capable hands, batman printed out the list, then went about searching the trashed files. Every file was still there, and he started to search through them, looking for comparisons. What he found made him feel somewhat ill.

"We are going to have to re-assign Olivia," he said to Marvel, once he had finished and was putting the files back in their proper places.

"What makes you think that?"

He handed Marvel the list of patients. "This is a woman's clinic" he said. "Every woman on this list is pregnant, between the first and second trimester. They are all single mothers, and this is their first child. More importantly, they are all between the ages of eighteen and twenty one. There's also a listing of amniocentesis results. Someone is looking for a pregnant woman's baby."

Marvel looked over the list quickly, then handed it back. "What makes you think this has anything to do with Olivia?" he asked.

"The coincidence is too great," Batman replied. "Her name could have been on this list and it would have made sense; the only exception is that she lives in Seattle, even if her doctor isn't there. An Apokoliptian boom tube opens, and they trash a women's clinic? I didn't think Darkseid was having difficulty obtaining heirs, but I'm worried that Olivia might end up in his search, whether he is looking for her specifically or not."

Marvel frowned, folding his arms over his chest. "Where is she now?"

"She had a meeting with Lucius Fox from Wayne Enterprises at two yesterday afternoon, but after that, I can't be certain," Batman answered. "We can bring her in." He took his comm. from his belt. "Dealer?"

"Yes?"

"See if you can find Olivia and have her transported to our location."

"Right away."

There was only a small pause, before there was a flash of light. Olivia was suddenly standing there, as Green Arrow.

"Expecting trouble?" Batman asked.

"Where am I?"

"Chicago," Marvel answered.

"Oh. That's conveni- ugh. What happened here?" She walked over to the dead nurse. "Poor woman. Who would do this?"

"The same person who killed the bum, we suspect," Batman replied. "The same person who is looking for an unborn baby."

Immediately, he noted the slight frown on his face, as she turned. Her left hand surreptitiously moved to her stomach. "What are you talking about?"

"This is a clinic," he told her. "Whoever killed these people was looking for a list of patients. All between the ages of eighteen and twenty one. All single mothers. All with their first child. All three to four months pregnant." He watched as her eyes grew larger with each addition to the list. Finally she shook her head, holding out a hand.

"Give me that list," she said. Batman handed it to her, and she started to look it over, her face growing stony. That was a bad sign; when Olivia tried to hide her emotion, he knew that she was deeply troubled. "Right. Have we checked on these women yet?"

"I'll do it. I'll get Flash to help," Marvel offered.

"Do that. I've got to see if I can find this lunatic."

"Olivia, I wouldn't suggest that."

She turned to Batman, her eyes flashing. "What, you think I can't handle some over muscled nut job who likes to break necks?" she demanded. "I'm pregnant, not helpless. I can take care of myself."

"It's not just an over muscled nut job," he said. Before he had a chance to explain, she had crossed the room and was out the window. When he looked down, he noted her rappelling down the side of the building. "Damn it, Olivia, Darkseid might be looking for you," he said, knowing that she couldn't hear him. She had already made up her mind, and she wasn't about to listen; he knew that. Even if he comm'd her, she more than likely wouldn't answer.

He looked down again, and saw the blue light of the satellite teleporter envelop her, as she disappeared. Olivia wasn't very big on secrets, nor was she a very good liar, at least not to him. Either she was more worried than she was letting on, or something had just crossed her mind. Either way, he was going to find out. "Dealer, I need transport back."

It was only a moment later that he was up above the earth again. "Where did Olivia go?"

"To her quarters," Dealer replied.

"Why? Aidan's in Chicago."

"She is acting very odd," the other said. "There is something wrong, but when I asked her about it, she told me to do something very rude. I think she may be under some stress."

"That's an understatement," Batman said, sitting down at the control panel. The computer was in use; it was slightly lagged. Someone was eating up much of the processing power. "Who's got access to the computer right now?"

"You, Olivia, and I believe Heartbreaker as well. Wait." There was a pause. Another energy signature has just been recorded. Again, in Chicago. Captain Marvel is almost there."

"Put it on the screen," Batman ordered. Only a moment later, he saw a small white vortex swirling at the top of a building. Coming out of it was a woman, in a black body suit, wearing silver bands all over. Immediately, his mind flashed to the comment Olivia had made in the alley; she had been right. Not a moment later, Marvel arrived, wailing on her as was his norm. From her body the silver bands lashed out, cutting him across the chest and arms. He let loose a few more punches, until the woman backed into the vortex. Before Batman could even react, Marvel went through, and the vortex vanished.

Stating the obvious, Dealer said solemnly, "Captain Marvel is trapped on Apokolips."


	12. Chapter 12 Apokolips

It was only a matter of seconds before Marvel found himself on the other side of the Boom Tube. He had followed the woman in the black and silver in, and immediately knew upon exiting the other side that it was a mistake. A _huge_ mistake. He found himself staring at the inside of a round chamber, easily the size of a football stadium if not greater. The woman he had followed was kneeling down, and she turned as he exited behind her. Beyond her, he saw four other figures, loosely described as humanoid. One was a weasley looking man in a deep purple robe, who turned quickly, his eyes lighting up with sadistic pleasure as Marvel entered. Next to him was another male, at least, that was what he assumed. He was brutish and hairy, with a protruding brow and a nasty-looking stick at his side. Nearby was what looked at first glance like a linebacker, but turned out to be an old woman with white hair and a rather doughy face. Seated behind all of them, leaning back as if engulfed in the giant stone throne, was yet another man- if one could call him that. His eyes glowed red under large brows, his face resembling more a craggy cliff face than a biological face. Immediately, Marvel recognized him: Darkseid the Destroyer.

"Who dares to enter the court of the great and powerful Darkseid?" the weasley one demanded.

"Captain Marvel," he said, glaring down at him. "You will stop your incursions to earth immediately."

"Silence, earthling," the hairy man said, coming forward. "How dare you make demands here?"

"How dare you come to earth to kill our citizens?" Marvel retorted. The woman he had followed disappeared somewhere off to his right, as the other being came forward, squaring off with him. "I will not allow-"

"Enough talk!" The man swung down at him with the stick, but Marvel ducked quickly. He felt a static charge over his head, making his hair stand on end. He pulled back, punching him in the gut. He backed up a few steps, but did little else besides. Again, he swung with the stick, and Marvel grabbed it, attempting to wrest it from his grip. He smiled, and there was a sudden jolt that passed through both of Marvel's arms. He tried to pull away, but his fingers were clutched around it, frozen in place. It wasn't until the electricity coursing through the stick was cut before Marvel could force his fingers open, pulling away from it. The hairy man came forward again, but Marvel was ready; he knelt down, throwing him over his back and turning. He began to beat his face into the ground, until the man managed to roll away, lying on the ground.

At that point, Darkseid finally stood, walking over to the fallen fighter. "You have managed to best my son," he said, his voice reverberating off of every surface in the hall.

"You will leave earth alone."

A slight smile crossed the tyrant's craggy face. "As you wish. Once I have the spark that is growing there."

Marvel frowned. "Spark?"

"There is a vessel that carries the spark, and you shall tell me where it is." By that time, the hairy man had gotten up to his knees.

Marvel set himself, staring at Darkseid. _I don't have much other choice_, he thought to himself. _I don't know what spark he means, but whatever it is, I can't let him find it._ He ran forward, crying out, and pulled back, punching Darkseid in the face. The tyrant backed up a step, reaching up to touch the blood that dribbled down his lip.

"You will regret that, earthling." He reached back and punched forward as well, though Marvel just barely managed to get out of the way in time. The next hit, however, connected, and he went flying across the chamber, smashing into the curved wall. Some of the stone broke off under his weight. Getting up quickly, knowing that he wasn't a match for Darkseid, Marvel made a break for the wall, hoping to smash through it and escape. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to change course as a boom tube appeared in front of him. He was deposited a few feet behind him on the other side.

Marvel had just a moment to look up, as Darkseid's eyes glowed a brighter red. He tried to get out of the way, but he was too slow; the beams of energy seared out, burning through his chest. He fell backwards, clutching the burn wound. It was only a moment later that he felt another burn, then nothing.

It seemed like only a moment later that he awoke. His arms and legs were secured to a metal slab, and as his eyes opened, the slab began to rise up to a vertical position. His eyes focused, and he once again saw Darkseid standing nearby, and the weasley little man. "You are finally awake," Darkseid said. "Excellent. Now, you can tell me about the spark."

"I don't know anything about a spark," Marvel said. "Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."

Darkseid smiled somewhat. "Oh, I think you will. You see, Desaad here is very good at what he does, and I think I'll let him loose on you. It won't be long before you talk. Now, the spark. The process has already begun, and is halfway through. I know it is in one of your world's heroes. I want to know who."

Marvel closed his eyes. He had a sinking feeling he knew what the tyrant was asking for, but he was not about to betray a fellow Leaguer. He tested his bonds: they were tight around his arms. "Shazam."

Lightening came from nowhere, as he reverted back into Billy Batson. Much thinner, it was an easy matter of slipping out of the restraints. The weasley man- presumably Desaad- reached out, grabbing him. Billy smiled. "Shazam."

Again, the lightening struck, coursing through Desaad as he cried out. Again, he stood in the chamber as Captain Marvel, and he shrugged off Desaad easily, standing to face Darkseid. He barely had enough time to react, as Darkseid reached forward, grabbing him by the throat and squeezing. Marvel kicked, managing to land a foot squarely into his face, but nothing happened. Again, the eyes lit up, and again there was nothing.

When he awoke the second time, he found that he was unable to move from pain. There was a tube down his throat, forcing air into his lungs, and various syringes in his arms forcing vital fluids into his body.

"Ah, you are awake," Desaad said, stepping into Marvel's field of vision. "You and I are going to spend much time together, oh yes. The great Darkseid has granted me permission to find out where the spark is. And while we are at it," he added, his face twisting into a terrible smile, "I want to know how it is that you did that wonderful pain."


	13. Chapter 13 Accidental Lies

The last of the records had finally been deleted from Gotham Mercy Hospital, and Olivia sighed, leaning back. The murders in Chicago had shaken her up, more than she had wanted to let on; someone was going after women in her demographic, and she wasn't about to have her child in danger. If the files were missing, then whoever had ransacked the other office would not be able to get her name. Admittedly, she had not had an amniocentesis done, but that specific search parameter could be changed at any time. When it came to her baby, Olivia wasn't going to take any chances.

As she was about to get up, her comm beeped. Reaching across the desk, she picked it up. "Yeah?"

"Olivia, you have a communication from your mother," Dealer said.

Olivia frowned. "Thanks, D." She turned on the comm system through the computer, but was disturbed to find that the communication was audio only. "Mom?"

"Olivia." Her voice was terse, filled with worry. Olivia couldn't quite tell, but she may have been crying, or had just gotten over it. "There's been an accident."

"What kind of accident?" Olivia demanded, leaning forward. Her gut twisted again, and her hands started to shake.

"Your father was in a car accident. It was pretty bad. I…I need you to get here."

"I'll be there. Where are you?"

"Seattle General Hospital."

"I'll be there in a few minutes, Mom. Just wait for me." She shut down the comm, grabbing her communicator and running down the hall, towards the teleporter pad. Her heart was racing, her breath coming quick, and not only from her full sprint. She skidded around the corner and made her way up to the pad. "D, Seattle General, now!"

Dealer looked up a moment, then saw the look on her face. "Right away."

It was only a few seconds before the light disappeared, and she was standing outside of the main entrance of the hospital. The rain was pouring down, soaking her in the few seconds that she was there. There were a few people around who frowned, eyeing her suspiciously as she suddenly appeared from a cylinder of blue light, but she didn't have time to worry about that. Olivia ran inside, making her way through the people waiting until she was in the emergency waiting room. It didn't take long for her to spot her mother, standing nervously by the door. "Mom?"

She looked over, biting her lip, her eyes red. Olivia went over and put her arms around her. Her mother was shaking. "Thank god you're here."

"What happened?" Olivia asked.

Dinah pulled back, sitting down at a chair nearby. "He was driving back from the flower shop, and…the roads were bad, from the rain…." She paused a moment, getting her voice back. "A truck came across two lanes of traffic and hit the van. It smashed the van between it and a building."

"How long ago?"

Dinah shook her head, looking down. "I don't know. He just got here a few minutes ago, and I got down here as fast as I could." Olivia looked over at the doors to the emergency room, grinding her teeth. She wanted to rush in there, to find out what exactly they were doing, but she knew that it wasn't going to help; if anything, she would get in the way, and more than likely, her father wasn't even conscious. "Just, sit down and wait with me?"

Olivia nodded, sitting down. "Did you call Roy?" she asked.

Dinah nodded. "I couldn't get a hold of him. I left a message." Her voice cracked again, as she lowered her head. Olivia put her hand on her arm, squeezing slightly. She smiled a bit at her daughter, but was otherwise quiet.

She waited a few minutes, then pulled her hand away, taking out her cell phone. After a few moments, she heard Aidan's voice on the other end. "Yeah?"

"Aidan, there's been accident, Pop's in the hospital. I'm going to be here for a while."

"You need me there?"

She smiled to herself. "I think we'll be okay," she answered. "I'm here with Mom right now, we're waiting to hear about Pop."

"Are you Okay?"

She paused a moment; she was about to say yes, to tell him not to worry. Then she caught herself. "No," she answered honestly, hoping that the crack in her voice wasn't audible. She swallowed before continuing. "But I'm with Mom. We just have to wait."

"If you need me, I'm a call away," Aidan said, his voice soft.

"Thanks." She hung up, closing her eyes for a moment as she tried to get herself under control again. Her mother needed her; only one of them could be too upset to think. They sat there for a few minutes, which turned into a half an hour. Finally, a doctor came out of the emergency room, his scrubs still bloody. He walked right up to them.

"Mrs. Queen?"

Dinah looked up, standing "Yes? How is he?"

The doctor sighed; a very bad sign. Olivia felt her throat tighten again. "I've got no easy way to tell you this," he said. "Your husband is dying. He's already lost a significant amount of blood, and both of his kidneys are failing. If we can't find a donor within the next hour, well… There won't be very much we can do for him. I'm sorry."

"I can donate," Olivia said immediately.

"And you are?"

"His daughter," she replied. "I'm a compatible donor."

Dinah shook her head. "You can't. The baby."

"The baby'll be okay. Pop won't be. I'm going to do this." She turned back to the doctor. "Show me where the surgery is at."

The doctor nodded. "This way." Olivia followed him quickly, feeling her eyes burning again. It was a risk, yes, but it was a risk she was going to take. It only took a couple minutes until she was being shown into a small private room. She and Dinah were left there alone. The latter seemed anxious.

"Are you sure you want to be doing this, Olivia?"

She tried hard not to glare. "Pop's dying," she said. "I don't have much choice, do I?"

"We could always try and get a hold of Arsenal."

"You already tried," Olivia pointed out. "Roy isn't answering his phone. Pop doesn't have much time, and if I can do something, I'm not going to sit back and wait." The nurse entered, drawing a blood sample quickly and leaving to get it tested.

"I know, but your baby…"

"I already said, the baby will be fine," she said. "I haven't changed my habits yet, and I think the baby will be strong enough for the surgery."

Dinah shook her head, pacing nervously. "I don't like it. I don't like it at all."

Olivia smiled. "Mom." She turned. "I know you're worried. Pop's in the emergency room, and you don't want me there too. I'll be all right, and so will the baby. I promise." She expected her mother to at least try to smile, but she didn't. She only paced more, her face growing more and more concerned. There were no tears, just…worry.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light. Olivia turned in the hospital bed, and found Dealer standing next to her. "Olivia, we have a problem."

"Yes, I do," she said.

"Captain Marvel has gone off to Apokolips and is trapped," he said. "We need you to go after him."

"Usually, I'd be there, but this time, it won't happen. My father's in emergency surgery and I'm about to go under the knife."

"Olivia, you can't," he said. "If you don't go, Marvel will die."

"What's so bad about this place, besides the name sounding like something out of a bad scifi movie?" she asked. She noted her mother had moved away from the window, turning sharply when Dealer had started to talk.

"It is a place of evil, great evil power."

"And you want to send the one with _no_ powers, who also happens to be pregnant, to this place?" she demanded. "Forget it. My father needs me."

"You have a duty to the League."

"I have a duty to my family first," she growled. "Marvel knows the risks that come with the costume. He knows that his life is at risk every day, and he still goes out there and fights the good fight. He made his own decision, and he's going to have to deal with the consequences. Why don't you send someone who's as powerful? If Marvel's in trouble, then what the hell good am I going to be there, huh?" She stood up, rubbing her arm where the needle had been.

"If you don't go, he will die."

"And if I _do_ go, my father will die."

Dealer closed his eyes. "Yes."

Olivia shook her head angrily. "I can't believe you'd actually consider asking me this!" She turned as the doctor came in, holding a few papers in his hand. "All right, if you'll excuse me, D, I have a kidney to donate."

"Actually, you won't be able to donate," the doctor said.

"The pregnancy…"

"It…it isn't the pregnancy," he said. He shook his head, and looked over at Dinah. Olivia looked as well; there was a sick look on her face. "It turns out, you aren't a genetic match."

Olivia wasn't expecting that answer. She paced across the room, grabbing the doctor by the collar and slamming him against the wall. "You want to repeat that?" she growled.

"I-it's true!" he said.

"Let me see those results!" She grabbed the papers, letting the doctor go. He straightened himself up, as Olivia looked through. "What the hell is this, 'unidentified hemoglobin'? What does this mean?" She turned to Dealer, but he had already disappeared. Her eyes finally found her mother, who was looking down. "What is this?"

"We can't identify components of your blood," the doctor explained.

"There must be a mistake," Olivia said. Her mind was reeling; the only way that she _wouldn't_ be a match would be if-

-if he wasn't her father. She turned to her mother, refusing to look away until she finally sighed.

"I didn't want you to find out," Dinah said softly. "Your father and I wanted to keep it a secret, but…we never expected this to happen."

Olivia stared at her, for a moment unable to speak. "I don't believe it," she finally said. "I _might_ have been able to believe you weren't my mother- I mean, I've heard stories about Pop. But you? I can't believe…"

Dinah shook her head. "It isn't what you think," she said. She never brought her eyes up, as she spoke. "The man lying in there is not your biological father, no…but he is your father. In a sense. Your father was the same man, but…from another parallel reality. He was brought here by a man you've probably never heard of, named Barry Allen."

Olivia frowned. "I have heard that name," she said. "Aidan's parents mentioned him a couple times."

"Your real father swapped places with this one. But he died before you were born, in a plane crash. Not long after, the Ollie from this reality was returned, so that…that you would have a father, even if he wasn't the biological one."

Olivia frowned. "You lost me," she said. Her mother still refused to look up. "You're telling me that Pop from another reality got you pregnant, and then he died?"

"Yes."

"And now this Pop is here taking the place of….of my real father?"

"Yes."

"Just me. Right?"

"Yes."

Olivia threw her hands up. "Then we get a hold of Roy! Damn it, we can't be wasting time! He's dying in there!" Suddenly, she got an idea. Pulling out her phone, she dialed Aidan again. "You there?"

"Yeah. You need me?"

"Yes. I need you to go find Roy. He's the only one who can help Pop now. I know you've been to his place before."

"Got it."

Olivia sighed. "Thanks, Aidan." She shut the phone, then looked up. Her mother was _still_ not looking at her. "Just one question with all of this," she said. "If my real father was just another version of Pop, how come I'm not genetically compatible?"

There was a moment of hesitation. "I don't understand it myself," she said. "I just…we didn't want you to think you were different."

Olivia smiled somewhat. "I just wish I could have helped."

Dinah finally looked up, smiling sadly. "I know. You…you aren't going to go to Apokolips, are you?"

Olivia frowned as she shook her head emphatically. "No way in hell. I have a baby to think about. I might have six months ago, but if Marvel's in over his head, there is no way I'm putting my baby in that kind of danger."

Dinah looked visibly relieved. "We have to wait for Aidan and Roy now," she said. "We better get back to the waiting room."


	14. Chapter 14 Indoctrination

Marvel let out another terse scream, squeezing his eyes shut against the pain. He had a single gash six inches long along his left side, and Desaad has his entire hand inside, feeling around. He tried to pull away, but the binds held him fast in place. There was a delighted squeal from the little man, and Marvel screamed again, as he wrapped his fingers around an organ, squeezing slightly.

"Isn't this so much fun?" he asked, squeezing again. "It doesn't have to be though. You can just tell me where the spark is. The great Darkseid already knows it resides in one of your heroes. Time is running out." He laughed somewhat, squeezing again. Marvel felt sweat beading on his face. "This is so much fun, I sometimes wish it wouldn't end! Unfortunately, it always does. They always die on me, just when I'm getting to the good part."

"The spark," Marvel whispered. Desaad looked up.

"Yes. The spark."

"It's…." As expected, he brought his head in closer to hear what he was saying. Marvel headbutted him, knocking him unconscious. He was somewhat surprised, when he didn't awaken after the painful screech he let out as Desaad's hand slipped out from his body, tearing at his organs as it did. He gasped for breath, thankful that the pain had subsided, and waited to see how long it would be before anyone realized the screams had stopped.

Though he had no way of telling time, he estimated it was about an hour before the door opened. The inconceivably large old woman entered, looking down at Desaad, lying unconscious on the floor. She then looked up at him. "Now, why would you go and hurt poor little Desaad?" she asked, her voice much more masculine than it should have been. "You are such a big, strong man. He never had a chance."

"What do you want?" Marvel demanded, trying to keep his voice even through the pain.

She looked up at him. "My, aren't we an impatient one? And mistrusting, too. Granny just wants to see how you are." She looked down at the gash in his side. "Now, this will get infected if we don't clean it up."

"Stay back," he growled, though there was nothing he could do to make her.

She looked up at him. "Come now, I don't want to hurt you. Granny abhors violence." She grabbed something out of his line of sight. "Now, this is going to sting somewhat. I have to clean this wound." It did sting, but no more than peroxide would. "If you promise not to hurt me, I can let you down from there. All I want is to talk."

He looked at her, but found himself nodding. So far, she had done nothing…well, nothing that he would expect. No lies yet, no pain. She unfastened the bonds, and Marvel slid down, holding his side gingerly. She took a small device and pressed it against the slash, knitting the skin together.

"There now. You must be hungry. Take a walk with Granny Goodness."

He followed her out of the small torture chamber, down a stone hall. There was no one else around, though he looked. He also tried to remember where he was going, but there was little point in it; he had no real need to remember how to get _back_ to a torture room. He suspected the ubiquitous stone doors held similar chambers behind them. Slowly, without realizing it, he was looking less and less at the woman, and with less suspicion each time.

Within a few minutes, he was seated at a small table, eating some sort of vegetable paste. It didn't taste bad, and he was starving. He also knew that he needed to keep up his strength. Granny Goodness had been speaking him to the entire time, telling him that she was unlike the others on Apokolips- and that she sometimes worried her life was in danger. She handed him a small cylinder, claiming it was a comm system of sorts. "To get in touch with an old woman," she had said. "After all, I'm helpless, and I may need your assistance."

He put the empty bowl down, nodding his thanks. "I am going to send you back to earth," she said. "There is no need for you to stay here. After all, you don't know where the spark is. You may as well return home." She pulled a small device from her belt, and again, one of the white vortexes appeared. "This will take you back."

"Thank you," he said, hesitating for a moment. He frowned; there was a portion of time he suddenly could not recall. He attributed it to the blood loss and torture, and went through the vortex, back to earth.


	15. Chapter 15 Old and New Alike

The comm board beeped for the third time. Heartbreaker sighed, looking up at the main central console where Dealer was seated. "Are you going to get that?"

"I am not speaking to her," he said.

Heartbreaker rolled her eyes. "Fine. Make _me_ talk to her." She keyed the comm, and was greeted by audio and visual feed- if 'greeted' could be considered the correct word. "What can we do for you, Olivia?"

The younger woman scowled at her. "Where's D?"

"He won't speak to you," she said. Even angry, her voice never lost its sultry tone. "Something about Apokolips and your refusal to go."

"Well, excuse me for worrying about my baby," she growled back, her green eyes flashing angrily. "Besides, my father's in trouble."

"Yes, I heard. I also heard you managed to find a donor."

"Aidan did, no thanks to any of you. He found my brother, they're both at the hospital, resting. I'm going on hiatus for a little while. Until Pop's out of his coma, anyway."

Heartbreaker had a gift for sensing the emotional states of others. It really didn't help with Olivia; she wore her heart on her sleeve constantly. The look on her face _almost_ made Heartbreaker feel sorry for her; she was definitely worried, and there was some kind of unspoken pain in her voice. "How long will that be?"

She shrugged. "The doctors don't know. He's still in the ICU, though Arsenal should be waking up any hour now. That should be a start."

There was still something evasive. "Olivia, what's going on?"

She opened her mouth to speak, face growing stony for a moment, but sighed; she knew that she couldn't lie. Heartbreaker was _very_ good at reading people. "I found out something very interesting," she said. "Turns out, my biological father comes from another reality. Same guy, different life. Mom says that there's a guy in Kentucky that might be able to explain the whole thing to me, some Scott Free. Once Pop's out of the coma, I need to go talk to him."

It was, unfortunately, the truth; at least, that was what she was reading from Olivia. Heartbreaker only nodded; she was already in a precarious emotional state, and antagonizing her about being a bastard wasn't going to help. She had already seen Olivia snap, and sometimes could still swear that she felt the seam where she had broken her nose.

"I think we should take care of that," Heartbreaker said. "This Scott Free once went by the name Mr. Miracle, and with Marvel off on Apokolips, he may be the only one who knows how to get him back."

Olivia shook her head. "Damn it, I am _not_ going to Apokolips! Will you tell D…"

"I understand," Heartbreaker interjected. "He's just in a mood about it."

"Well, do something about it," she growled. "You can twist men around your little finger." There was an edge of accusation in her voice.

Heartbreaker sighed. "I did nothing to Flash to make him act the way he did."

"Maybe if you put some clothes on every once in a while, it'd help," she replied.

"This, coming from Black Canary's daughter?"

"You see me in fishnet?"

Heartbreaker couldn't help but smile slightly. "I'm sure Flash has."

Olivia glared again, her jaw tightening. "I'm done." The feed cut out, and Heartbreaker sighed. She looked over to Dealer. "I thought you told me her father would die."

"He will," he said. "Perhaps not from this accident, but it will happen."

"And until then?" He shrugged again. Heartbreaker sighed. "Wonderful. Not only was she a loose cannon to begin with, now we have her pregnant, _and_ strung out over her family. I don't understand why Marvel just doesn't take her off the roster until this is over with."

"That would require Captain Marvel to be here," Dealer said.

"Yes, back to that subject. We need to speak to Mr. Free, see if we can get his help. You may be right; if you are, then we'll need more than you, me, and Mr. Miracle. Olivia won't go, and I suspect she may put enough pressure on Flash to keep him here, as well." Again, she sighed. "Men. And she says I manipulate them."

"She is sleeping with him," Dealer pointed out. "You just tease."

"I didn't need that mental image," she said dryly. "Where is Free at?"

"He owns an amusement park in Kentucky, New Genesis Land. More than likely, he will be there. Are you going alone?"

Heartbreaker stood up to her full six foot height- most of it leg. "I should be able to handle him alone. Unless he's taken."

"Yes, by a former Female Fury, but she has since passed away."

"That's helpful information," she said, striding over to the teleporter pad. "I'll make certain to avoid that particular subject. Now, Dealer, if you wouldn't mind?" He nodded, and she found herself covered in blue light, showing up back on earth in a full parking lot. In front of her were the main gates to New Genesis Land, where throngs of people waited, coming and going. Beyond them, Heartbreaker could hear music and gears grinding. She walked forward, through the crowd; even in the myriad of people, she stood out, her red heart-shaped bustier and red leather miniskirt hugging her body tightly, red stiletto boots tapping the pavement seductively. Taking a deep breath, she reached out, feeling the emotions of those around her. She drew from the joy around her, changing it to apathy and directing it at the ticket collectors. It was not difficult, and she walked through the gates without so much as a glance.

Once inside, she found herself in a miniature square, with shops all around her. In the center of the square was a fountain, with a statue of a man in robes, holding a staff. Off to her left she found an information center, and she walked over, grabbing a small, foldout map and looking at it briefly. Her eyes scanned over it, until she found a small area marked as being for employees only, marked as the Motherbox.

Heartbreaker made her way through the park, moving around the people- mostly children and their parents- making their way from attraction to attraction. It was a brisk business, by the look of things. She ignored the people for the most part, as she made her way to the secured area. She opened a single white door, and was in a small office. Sitting at a desk directly in front of her was a woman, who looked up when Heartbreaker entered.

"You're not allowed in here," she said, moving to stand.

Heartbreaker put her hand out. "No need to stand. I'm here to see Mr. Free," she said, put as much authority into her voice as she could. "I'm with the Justice League."

It worked. "Hold, please." She picked up the phone on the desk, and pressed three buttons. "Mr. Free? Someone from the Justice League is here to see you." She put the phone down, and turned back. "The last office down the right hall."

"Thank you," Heartbreaker said, walking down the hall. The other doors were all closed, as she walked down. Only a few seconds later she reached the end of the hall, and a large door. Opening it, she walked into a large office, with a large oak desk in front of an entire bank of monitors. A single plush leather chair was sitting behind the desk, but it was empty. To her right, Heartbreaker saw a single tank, seven feet in height, transparent and filled with water. Inside this tank was a man, in a straight jacket and surrounded by chains. She waited patiently, as he managed to shrug off the chains, untie the straight jacket, and climb out of the tank.

"Mr. Free," she said as he climbed out, grabbing a towel off the desk and drying off somewhat before wrapping it around his waist.

"So, you're from the Justice League?" he asked, looking her over for a moment. "You could have fooled me. So, what can I do for you?"

"We need your help, Mr. Miracle."

He paused for a moment. "Mr. Miracle's retired."

"You seem to still be in practice," she said, motioning with her head to the tank. "Impressive. It doesn't change the fact that we need your help, and your expertise about Apokolips."

Again, he paused. "That's a name I never wanted to hear again," he said.

"Captain Marvel is trapped on Apokolips," Heartbreaker said. "We need your help to get him out. You were the only one we know of who could ever escape from there. Or, if you have any information that we could use, that would be helpful, too."

He pulled a robe on over himself and sat down in the leather chair. "The only suggestion I have is to set up the memorial service. He's probably already dead."

Heartbreaker shook her head. "We won't accept that," she said. "We have some very disturbing information, if you don't mind listening in for a few minutes."

He waved his hand, putting his feet up on the desk. "Go ahead."

"A couple days ago, we registered an energy surge in Chicago," she started. "It turns out, the energy was from a boom tube, more than likely from Apokolips. There was a murdered vagrant, and then a murdered doctor and nurse. The murderer went through the files there, and was looking for young women between eighteen and twenty one who are single and pregnant. It turns out, we have a member of the League who fits right into that search parameter."

Free raised his eyebrows. "That's a new one. I can…well, I can really only think of one other Leaguer who got pregnant and stayed on."

Heartbreaker nodded. "It must be in the family, then."

Free frowned for a moment, then leaned back. "Ah. Well, my congratulations to her."

"Her life may be in danger, as well as her baby's," Heartbreaker said. "Will you help us?"

There was a pause as he looked into space, weighing his options. Heartbreaker could feel a distinct mix of emotions coming from him, until they coalesced into reluctant resolve. "All right," he said. "All right. If you guys need my help, you've got it."

Heartbreaker nodded, favoring him with a slight smile. "If you wouldn't mind, it would probably be best to brief you of the full situation on the Satellite." She touched the face of her communicator, at the same moment that blue light surrounded both her and Free. She found herself back on the Satellite, with Free. Dealer was there, alone. "I hate it when you do that."

"I can't believe this antique still works," Free said, looking around.

"Batman helps with that, and so does Olivia, when she isn't busy picking a fight."

"I'm hoping you're not talking about the original Batman? And who's this Olivia person?"

Heartbreaker shook her head. "No, his successor. He sounds, moves and thinks like him, though. And Olivia is the one who we're all worried about." Before she could go into any other detail, the alarms began to go off again. "Dealer?"

"It's coming from the hanger bay," he said, bringing up the image on the screen. Inside was a swirling vortex, identical to the one Marvel had gone through. He was now coming out of it. "Captain Marvel?"

"We better go meet him," Free said. His voice betrayed the suspicion that was lying thickly over him. Heartbreaker only nodded, following him down to the elevator, and into the bay. Marvel was still standing there, looking around. His eyes focused on them as they exited, and he even smiled somewhat.

"Heartbreaker, you're a sight for sore eyes," he said. She looked at him, trying not to frown; she couldn't read his emotional state. _That_ was disturbing. "And you are?"

"Mr. Miracle," Free introduced himself. "I thought you were on Apokolips."

"I was let go," Marvel explained. "When they found out I had no information, they let me return here."

"Information on?" Heartbreaker asked.

"The 'vessel that holds the spark' or something like that," Marvel said. "Darkseid said something about being halfway through the process."

Heartbreaker bit her lip. "I am surprised enough that Dealer was wrong," she muttered. "I'm even more surprised that Green Arrow was actually _right_."

Marvel frowned. "Right in what regard?"

Heartbreaker shook her head; she was still reading no emotion from him, though he had expression on his face. Something was wrong, but she couldn't tell what, and until she could find out, she wasn't about to tell him anything. "The baby, is all. She thought that someone was after her baby. She told all of us that."

"Yes, she did," Marvel said. "Where is she now?"

Heartbreaker shrugged, making certain to seem nonchalant. "I don't know, probably off with Flash somewhere private. She asked that the two of them have some time off. I'll bet she wants to see a little more of him, what with the baby and all. Protecting the planet doesn't leave much time for a home life, I'd suspect."

"You're telling me," Miracle muttered.

"Dealer and I haven't been able to get a hold of her. We can get Flash sporadically, when he's in the area and willing to assist. I would leave her be; the baby has her moods all over the spectrum, and I don't want her to break my nose again because she thinks I'm looking at her boyfriend the wrong way."

Miracle turned to her. "Please tell me it isn't Wally," he said.

Heartbreaker shook her head. "His son."

There was palpable relief. "I was going to say. Still, that's…well, that's an interesting choice of partners…"

"You're telling me," Heartbreaker replied wryly. "One won't stop and the other won't shut up." She directed her attention back to Marvel. "You should go see Dealer. He'll need you to help update the computer systems." Marvel nodded, walking past them. As the elevator door slid shut behind him, she turned to Miracle. "You don't trust him."

He looked over, somewhat puzzled. "No," he admitted. "No one is just 'let go' from Apokolips. Trust me. There's something else, something….sinister. Darkseid has a plan, and Marvel's a part of it. He may not even realize it yet."

"I can't get an emotional read on him," Heartbreaker admitted quietly. "That is the most disturbing. He had expression, but no emotion."

"I'd suggest keeping an eye on him," Miracle said. "And getting Olivia someplace safe."

Heartbreaker nodded, pulling her communicator out. "Flash, are you there?"

"Yyyeah," he slurred cheerily.

"Listen, there's trouble," she said. "Do you know where Olivia is?"

"Yeah, I just left her at the hospital," he replied. "Why?"

"Listen, I need you to go there and take her communicator. Don't answer yours until you hear my voice. Don't even answer it for Dealer, got it?"

"Uh, I think so," he said, sounding confused. "You uh…want to tell me what this is about?"

"Marvel's back from Apokolips, and something is up," Heartbreaker explained. "He asked where Olivia was. At a moment's notice, you may have to move her someplace safe. Only on my word though. Got it?"

"She's in danger, isn't she?" he asked, his voice quiet. The sound of rushing air was suddenly gone from the background; he had actually _stopped_.

"I think so," she admitted. "Olivia trusts you more than anyone, and I know she distrusts me. Don't tell her I'm involved."

"Why are you involved again?"

Heartbreaker sighed. "Because your child doesn't deserve whatever will happen to it otherwise," she answered honestly. "Can I count on you, Flash?"

"Definitely!" he replied. "I'll be with Olivia if you need me."

She put the communicator back, and looked at Miracle. "Now, about those clothes..."


	16. Chapter 16 According to Plan

It had taken both her mother and Aidan to convince Olivia to head home for a little while, four days after the surgery had been done. Her father was still in a coma in the ICU, though Roy had been released and told to take things easy for a little while. He had returned to his family, only a few miles away, and Olivia waited in the seemingly empty house. It was probably the most difficult part of the process; her house had too many memories in it, and every time she looked at _anything_ they came to the surface. Her mother had been coming home at night, leaving to go back to the hospital in the morning.

Aidan, however, was acting more jumpy than his usual; he was insisting that she not worry that her JLA communicator had gone silent, and was rather insistent that she not be at the hospital at the same time each day. He was eating constantly, another not-so-subtle hint that he was nervous. He was using his speed more than he was letting on, and she was starting to get worried.

As she was finishing up her thoughts, she felt a gust of air, and Aidan was standing next to her. He had a deadly serious look on his face, a look that was all but alien on him.

"Come on, we have to go," he said quickly. "What do you need?"

"Need for what?" she asked, standing slowly.

"No time!" He disappeared, and appeared a moment later with a duffel bag- a bag she recognized as having come from her closet. "I have your clothes, we have to get you someplace safe."

"Safe?"

Before she had an answer he was lifting her into his arms and speeding off. "Now, we need someplace safe, someplace safe, someplace safe…." He was muttering as he ran, ignoring anything that got in the way, vibrating through it with her. Olivia closed her eyes; as much as she had traveled in the same fashion before, it was still unnerving. He was still muttering, when he brought his head up. "Got it! I know!"

"Aidan…"

"I have a friend. She…uh, she might be able to help." She skidded to a halt in front of an observatory on a mountain. Looking around, Olivia noted signs in some sort of Asian language, possible Chinese or Japanese. He put her down, then went up to the door. "She, uh…..she and I kinda…go way back."

Olivia folded her arms, jealousy welling up inside her. "How far back?" she demanded.

Aidan looked at her a moment, before looking away. "We were….uh…anyway." He knocked on the door hesitantly. It still sounded like a jackhammer.

After a moment, it opened, and Olivia saw a very petite looking Asian woman come out. Her hair was pulled back, held in place with a small white stick, her dark eyes open with curiosity. They narrowed as she saw the man at her door. "Aidan West. I never thought I'd see you again. I was counting on it."

"Eh, hey, Kimmy."

"You're not welcome here."

"Kimmy, wait wait wait!" he said, putting his hand on the door. "Look, I….well, I kinda need your help."

"You've taken advantage of my hospitality enough," she said.

"Look, Kimmy, I'm really sorry about that," he said. "Can't we put the past behind us? Besides, Olivia needs someplace safe to hide, and I was hoping you would be able to help."

Her eyes traveled over to Olivia, looking none too flattering, what with her belly pushing out her shirt slightly, her hair a mess from the high speed trip. "This your new tramp?"

Olivia didn't give the woman the pleasure of a verbal comeback; she reached back and slugged her with all her strength. She stumbled back a few steps, glaring. She brought her hands up, as they glowed with white light. Olivia pulled her bow, aiming it at her. Aidan pushed his way between them, holding his hands up to both of them.

"Ladies, ladies, can't we all just, sit down and have some green tea?" he asked. "We're not here to fight, right?" Reluctantly, Kimmy put her hands down. Olivia put her bow down again as well, though not before she made certain to aim it at Aidan. "Look, Kimmy, Olivia and I are serious."

"Serious?" she echoed, her voice cynical. Her eyes traveled to Olivia's belly. "Ah, I see. Got the two of you into some trouble, huh Aidan? You never could take responsibility."

"He's taking enough of it right now," Olivia put in angrily. "He's trying to protect me. Can you help us or not?"

She glared for a moment, but sighed. "Yes. Come in."

In a few moments, Olivia found herself sitting on a small pillow next to a low table. Kimmy went into the kitchen, and came back a few minutes later with three cups and a pot of tea on a tray. "So, what brings you all the way out here, Aidan? Besides your girlfriend, here." She once again looked at Olivia. "You like them young, don't you?"

"Don't talk like I'm not here," Olivia growled, though she was trying to keep her tongue in check. This woman, however caustic, was going to help. If she was in danger (and thus her baby as well by default), then she really had no choice but to accept help wherever it came from. "And I'm old enough to realize that if things go as planned, they're gonna get _real_ bad."

"How bad?" Kimmy asked.

"Apokolips bad."

Olivia had the satisfaction of seeing the somewhat surprised look on Kimmy's face. "Oh," she said, then looked at Aidan. "Don't count on this one," she said, the cynicism returning. "You think you can count on him, and one day, he'll run off."

"Not this time," Olivia said. "Like he said, we're serious."

"I've heard that before. From me."

"Is there something you two should be telling me?" Olivia looked at both of them; neither was offering any information. "All right, fine. But you and I are having a nice, _long_ talk when this is done, Aidan."

"Oh. Uh, okay." He swallowed hard and looked away. "So, you said you could help?"

"Yes. I have a place at the base of Mount Fuji. It's pretty isolated, but it's small." She shrugged. "Everything's small in Japan."

"We don't mind," Aidan said. "Mount Fuji?"

"Yeah. You remember the place, right?"

His face turned red. "Yeah. I remember. Thanks for the tea!" Olivia didn't realize she was in motion again until a few seconds after he had taken off, and by then, he was skidding to a stop. There was a small Japanese house sitting at the base of a mountain, the view pristine.

"You were here before?" Olivia asked, as she got down and went into the house. There was modest furniture, and some non-perishables around. Aidan dropped her duffel bag inside the door.

"Yeah."

Olivia folded her arms. "With Kimmy."

"Uh. Yeah. Look, the past's the past, right?"

Olivia sighed. "I suppose," she admitted. "But you're going to tell me one day."

"Hey, I don't ask about your prior relationships," he countered, holding his hands up in front of him.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't call any of them 'relationships'," she replied. "But fine, fine. I get the point." Another thought crossed her mind. "You…you won't be staying here, will you?"

There was almost a tender look on his face for a moment, and she caught his glance at her belly. "I have to keep up appearances at the Satellite," he said. "Besides, they're going to need me. Bye!"

"Aidan!" Before she got the word out, he was gone. She sighed; he had never been one for long anythings, let alone good-byes. She sat down on one of the pillows, sinking into it as she looked out the window at the mountain. With Aidan gone, her brother recovering from surgery, her surrogate father in ICU, and her mother still guilty about the truth she had learned, Olivia felt more alone than she could remember being. Even worse, she had been hoping that her actions to protect her child had been overreacting. Now, it seemed as though they were barely going to be enough. Looking around, she got familiar with the place that was going to be her new home for a while.

A few days passed, thankfully uneventful. Aidan came by at least two dozen times a day to check on her, to see if she needed anything. She never left the house; Aidan took care of any errands she would have needed, even laundry. He was still his usual, cheerful self, and that picked up her spirits somewhat, though there was still an undercurrent of fear.

"Aidan, can you hold on a sec?"

"Sure," he said, though he blinked out for just a moment; he had already begun to sprint off, and returned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said. "I…I want you to stop by the house. I want to know how Pop's doing, and how Roy is."

"Ollie's still in ICU," he said. "I didn't want to tell you anything until I had good news."

Olivia cringed. "Is he still in the coma?" Reluctantly, Aidan nodded. "Oh."

"Your Mom's holding up pretty well, though. Oh, I almost forgot. I'm going to go see Kamal today. I think we better keep you moving; no telling when something's gonna happen, and I know the advantage of not staying in one place for too long."

Olivia grinned somewhat. "For you, too long is more than ten minutes."

"Well…." He shrugged. "I gotta get going, Kamal's squeezing me in between appointments." He kissed her cheek slowly enough for her to see the movement. "I'll be back soon."

"Be careful, Aidan."

"You be more careful." With that, he was gone, and Olivia was again alone. She sighed again; she had managed to stave off the loneliness when Aidan was around, but it was getting increasingly isolated at the small house that was not her own. She decided to make herself some of the tea that was in the kitchen. Unfortunately, before the water had come to a boil, there was a knock on the door. She walked into the main room, then paused; Aidan had never knocked. "Who is it?" she called.

"Captain Marvel."

_Oh, shit_. "Uh, come in, the door should be open."

He opened the door, stepping, looking around as he did so. "So, this is where you've been hiding," he said. "Is Aidan around?"

"No, he just left a minute ago, had an errand to run."

"Do you expect him back?" Marvel asked. "He shouldn't have left you alone."

"He'll be back in a couple hours, I sus-" Olivia never had a chance to finish the sentence. Suddenly Marvel was in front of her, his hand grasped tightly around her throat. She struggled to pry his fingers off, but she knew it was useless; he was the strongest member of the League, and without powers, she had no hope of getting out of his grasp. Her stomach fluttered with fear, as she reached down to her belt, grabbing her communicator. As she was making that movement, Marvel pulled something from his own belt, and behind her she felt a rush of air and heard a loud booming sound. White light was splashed onto the wall.

Olivia activated the communicator quickly. "Aidan!" Marvel pulled back with her in his hand, literally throwing her into the swirling vortex. When she came out on the other side, she fell hard on her right arm, making certain to keep the brunt of the trauma away from her stomach.

The first thing she felt was the oppressive heat. It was almost suffocating, as she got to her knees, then to her feet. Looking up, she found herself in a circular stone room, but she was not alone. Sitting in a large stonework throne was something resembling a man, with what looked like dark leather for skin and a squared, craggy face. He stood, unfurling from the throne that belied his true immense size. A chilling smile came over his face, as he looked at her.

"Finally, now I have the vessel. Excellent work."

Marvel walked out from behind her, passing her and going to the man. "You…you betrayed me," she hissed. "How could you?"

"He can't hear you," the giant man said, his voice making Olivia's skin crawl. She forced herself to look him right in his glowing red eyes. "Granny Goodness has done well with him. I knew he would lead me right to the spark." Olivia put her hands over her belly as he looked down at it, backing up. She was surprised to find that she stopped, and found two guards standing directly behind her.

"You stay the hell away from me!" she shouted, pulling her bow and training it on him. He gave her a slight smile.

"Put it away, Olivia Queen," he said. "You'll only hurt yourself."

"You won't risk it," she growled. "If you hurt me, you run the risk of killing the baby. That is what you're after, isn't it?"

He laughed somewhat. "You know nothing of Apokoliptian technology," he said. "I could tear your child from you right now and raise it." His eyes suddenly glowed brighter, and Olivia suddenly found that her bow was gone, dispersed in her very hands. She pressed her back against the guards again, holding one hand over her stomach. "However, I give you the choice. I think you will need some time to think it over. Kalibak!"

From the side of the throne came a huge, lumbering ape of a man. "Yes?"

"Take Olivia to a holding cell," he said, keeping his gaze locked on her. "She can think about how she wants her child to be raised there."

"As you wish, Lord Darkseid." Olivia felt her heart skip a beat, her skin suddenly turning cold despite the heat. She had heard the name being thrown around since the incident in Chicago; from what everyone had said, _no one_ could match Darkseid, especially not in the current League. Kalibak came up to her and grabbed her by the arms in a bear hug, lifting her easily from the ground.

"NO!" she managed to shout, struggling against him. He ignored her as she struggled to get free, taking her into one of the small hallways and to a door.

"This should do," he said, as the door swung open to an empty box of a room. "You may have weapons hidden on you."

"You already disintegrated my wea- hey!" She was helpless against him as he tore at her clothes, until there was nothing left, and threw her into the room. Now nude, she crawled against the back wall, pressing her back against it. Looking down at herself, she could see where her child was starting to distend her belly, just slightly; just enough to be noticeable. Putting her hands over the bulge, she closed her eyes and forced her fear down. _Can't panic now_ she told herself. _I need to protect him. Or her. I can't panic now. I can't give him a reason to take my baby from me._


	17. Chapter 17 Out of Time

Kamal was not surprised to see that Aidan had let himself in, and found him in the drawing room. He was surprised, however, to see the speedster actually sit down for more than fifteen seconds. "Hey, Kamal, thanks for seeing me."

He shrugged. "You said that Olivia and the baby are in danger. It was the least I could do. What's going on, Aidan?"

The younger man sighed. "Ever since Marvel came back, Heartbreaker's asked me to keep an eye on her. She and Mr. Miracle think there might be something up with his return. They also think Olivia's in danger. If she is…and if something should happen to her…"

"I understand," Kamal said. He knew the implication well. He had his own concerns with Olivia and her child, especially after he had heard about the accident. "How is she taking things with Ollie?"

Aidan shrugged. "Better than I thought she would. I'm just afraid that something's going to happen to her, Kamal. I-"

"Aidan!"

The voice was Olivia's, and it came from Aidan's communicator. He frowned, holding it to his lips. "Olivia?" he asked. There was just as much fear in his voice as there had been in her's; she had been frightened, and desperate. "Olivia?" His eyes met Kamal's. "She's in trouble."

"Then we go to her."

"Come on!" He grabbed Kamal's arm, all but dragging him. He felt water on his face, and looked down; they were running _across_ the water. Kamal knew Aidan was pushing his limits; it took him no more than three minutes, and he recognized Mount Fuji. Aidan went up to the single house.

"Stop," Kamal said. The man did so, obediently, though he looked agitated. "The door's open."

"Olivia!" Aidan rushed in. By the time Kamal had entered, he was back in the mess that was the main room. Furniture had been strewn everywhere. "There's a pot of water still on the stove," Aidan said. He was a hair's breadth from panic at that point. Then, his communicator went off.

"Flash, we just had another energy reading."

"In Japan, right?" Kamal asked.

"Yes, how did you know?"

"Someone got to Olivia," Aidan answered. His voice was wavering. "I think they took her to Apokolips."

"It was Marvel," he heard Heartbreaker say. "It had to be. We can't get a hold of him. Miracle was right; he was brainwashed."

Aidan's fist nearly crushed the communicator. "We have to get her back!" he demanded. "We have to, she's trapped on Apokolip, with Darkseid, and the baby, and she has the baby, and…"

"Aidan!" Kamal shouted, grabbing his arm. "Calm down. You can't do her any good like this. We have to think."

"Yes, think of a way to get her back here, safe!" Despite himself, Kamal was surprised; he had known Aidan for some time, almost as long as he had known Olivia. Rarely, if ever, had he taken anything seriously; he had not even taken the news of his child seriously. Now, he was panicked, worried about his lover and their child in a way Kamal did not think was possible in the man. "Heartbeaker, we need to get to Apokolips."

"I'm bringing both of you to New Genesis Land," she said. "I'll see if Miracle will get us there. If you know any friends, now would be a good time to call them."

Kamal smiled. "I have one in mind." He pulled out his cell phone, and made the call quickly. He explained the meeting time and place, and hung up. As he did, blue light formed around him, and he found himself standing in the empty parking lot of an amusement park.

It took nearly an hour, but his contact arrived just in time. He even took Aidan by surprise.

"This had better be good, Batman," Hawkman said, folding his arms over his chest.

"You want to join our little foray to Apokolips?"

"Apokolips?"

"Yes. Darkseid has one of our members," Batman explained. "She's pregnant. Darkseid is after her unborn child."

Hawkman's face grew longer under the mask. "I can see why you need all the help you can get," he said. "I'll help. But…this had better not be all of us."

"Not at all." Batman turned to look at the speaker, recognizing her seductive voice immediately. Heartbreaker stepped out of the shadows, swaying her hips as she walked forward. Hawkman seemed to puff out his chest slightly, wings folding out just a bit more. It seemed that, human or Thanagarian, hot was hot. "We're just waiting for Miracle, is all. Then, we'll leave." She looked over at them, and then to Aidan. She smiled slightly, and he seemed to calm. Batman tried not to scowl; her powers were those of the heart, and she toyed with emotions the way a cat would toy with catnip- constantly and without remorse.

"What are we waiting for?" Batman looked up; Miracle was standing on the top of a light pole. He hopped down, throwing out two small disks and hopping onto them as they gently brought him down to the ground. "Are we the raiding party?"

"This is it," she said."

"We'll be booming in somewhere outside the main citadel," he said. "Any closer, and we're liable to trip the sensors. We'll have to sneak in from there. It isn't going to be easy, and it's going to be even more difficult getting to Olivia and getting her out, I think. But it's not impossible. Just stick close and use the element of surprise to your advantage."

He pulled a box from his belt, and pressed a button. One of the tubes opened. "Here we go," he said, running through it. Heartbreaker went through next, then Aidan, Hawkman, and finally Batman. Coming out on the other side, they were bathed in oppressive heat. "Ah. Home."

"Which way?" Flash asked, looking around. Even though the only skin showing on him was on his face, Batman could see Aidan sweating. In fact, the only ones who seemed to not be sweating were Miracle and Heartbreaker.

"This way," Miracle said, floating on the disks as he moved. Aidan was right next to him the rest of them following behind. "We have to get up over that rock formation," he said, pointing ahead of him. "From there, the citadel is not far off, but we have to be careful. There will be parademons everywhere."

"Sounds bad to me," Heartbreaker said.

"Very bad. We don't have any time to waste."

_Inside, Olivia was waiting tensely in her cell, when the door opened. She shrank back against the wall, again holding her stomach protectively. The intruder had terrible yellow skin and thick green hair, and had a twisted, chilling grin plastered to her face. "Is the pretty liking her new cage?"_

_"What do you want?" Olivia demanded, getting to her feet. Before she had a chance to fully get her balance, the woman was in front of her, holding her by the throat. She struggled, but found that once again, she couldn't break free. "You…can't…do this," she gasped. "The…child…."_

_The woman laughed. "I know where a child rests." She forced her to the ground, pulling back with one hand. Spikes appeared in the gauntlet, and she proceeded to beat Olivia's face, leaving her bruised and bleeding. "The great Darkseid wishes to see you. You come with me!" She grabbed her by her hair and started to drag her down the halls. Olivia tried to get up, but as soon as she did, the woman tripped her, sending her onto her back again. This time, she grabbed her by the nostrils, dragging her along the stone ground. Olivia could do little but grab onto the arm and hope that the tearing she felt was only in her mind. _

_Back in the main chamber, she was let loose, and she stood up, wiping the blood from her face and checking to see what kind of permanent damage may have been done. Again, she was standing before Darkseid, only this time she was feeling much more vulnerable; unclothed, beaten and bloodied, her belly showing. _

_"Kneel before your god," he ordered. _

_"You're not my god," Olivia growled. She didn't see the little man in the purple cloak come up behind her; she definitely didn't see him touch her back, sending a painful shock through her system. She cried out, but managed to keep her feet. "Do that again, and it might hurt the baby. Why do you want it so bad, anyway? What's the big deal about my baby, because it might grow up to be a speedster? I know I sure as hell don't have any powers worth killing for."_

_"Not long ago, the universe as we known it was destroyed," Darkseid said. "In its place rose the multiverse. The child you are carrying," he paused to look pointedly at her slowly swelling belly, "is the key to the multiverse. It spans all known realities, and is the key to bringing them all together. As for the father, well, he is not the same being that planted the seed within you; he is no longer entirely here."_

_Olivia frowned. "What do you mean, not entirely here?" she demanded. Both her hands had gone over her stomach now. "My baby doesn't have any power that isn't already in our genes. Whatever this multiverse thing is, none of us have anything to do with it."_

_"I am offering you a single choice," Darkseid said. "I will allow you to carry the child to term and bear it on your own, if you obey me. Otherwise, I will take the child from you, and Desaad can torment you until you finally die."_

_Olivia turned her head in time to see the little man reaching forward, shocking her again. This time, she fell to her knees. He put a hand on her shoulder, keeping her there. _

_"I require your answer, Olivia."_

_She looked up, with considerable effort. "Don't," she whispered, forcing the words from her mouth. Every fiber of her was screaming to fight him, to stave off whatever he had in mind, but she knew that there was little hope of surviving; at least if she had the baby inside of her, she could protect it for another few months. "Don't take my baby from me. Please."_

_"Take her back and have her dress," Darkseid ordered. "We will have the ceremony immediately."_

_Olivia looked up, feeling her throat tighten. "Ceremony, what ceremony?"_

_Desaad grabbed her and hauled her up, handing her back over to the yellow-skinned woman. "The great and glorious omnipotent Darkseid will be taking you as his bride, of course, you mortal fool!" he gloated. _

"All right, we just have to get over this wall," Miracle said, as he looked up. Suddenly, he tilted his head to the side. "Get down!"

They all dropped to the stone bed, except for Batman, their eyes looking up. Heartbreaker could see strange looking beasts riding what appeared to be pterodactyls, or something resembling them. "Parademons," Miracle said, his voice tight in thought. "Strange. They're in an odd formation."

"Ceremonial?" Heartbreaker suggested.

"Possibly. I don't like the looks of it; we had better hurry. This way." He was on the discs again, making his way over the wall, Batman right behind him. Hawkman lifted herself and Flash easily, as they all perched high above some sort of power center. Down below were six dog-like men.

"I was hoping we wouldn't have to waste our time fighting," Flash said. He was growing more and more worried by the moment. Heartbreaker fed off of his fear, focusing on the guards below. She smiled slightly, extending her hand, and with a flick of the wrist, she had them; and they didn't care.

"We can go," she said. "They won't be bothering with us."

"Are you sure?" Miracle asked.

"If she says they won't bother us, then they won't," Batman growled. They made their way down, Miracle looking somewhat uncomfortable as the dog-men looked over, then went back to staring straight ahead. They walked down a long, straight passage.

"This isn't right," Miracle said. "This place should be swarming with parademons."

"Now you tell us!" Flash exclaimed softly.

"He's right," Batman said. "This is too easy. He might be expecting us."

Heartbreaker closed her eyes, stretching out her senses. There was fear and suffering, as she expected, but somewhat muted, and all congregated at a specific point "There's a meeting going on, straight ahead. Where the head is."

"That's Darkseid's main chamber," Miracle explained. "Come on, we have to hurry. We may not have much more time."

_Olivia found a box sitting in her cell when she returned, and opened it to find a dress made of shiny, hard black scales sitting in it. Thankful for something to cover her body with, she got into it quickly, trying to ignore the cuts and scrapes the scales gave her. It hugged her body uncomfortably, especially around her belly. She found that her door opened, and along with the yellow-skinned woman were a handful other women, all looking equally as depraved and twisted. Looking down at herself, Olivia sighed deeply. She tried to get the blood off of her face, but she could do nothing for the bruising and swelling._

_She was surrounded by the women, who led her again through the halls. She couldn't see around them, but it didn't matter; her eyes were on the ground, her shoulders slumped, head bowed. She was defeated._

_Finally, the women moved away, and she found herself standing in an open-air courtyard. In front of her was a large raised dais, with throngs of followers surrounding all sides of it. On the dais itself was Darkseid and Desaad, both who looked expectantly at her. Kalibak came up, grabbing her arm so violently she almost lost her balance. Trumpets sounded behind her, as she forced her head to stay up._

_He lifted her off the ground and placed her up on the dais. Darkseid took her hand, almost crushing it in his viselike grip. She looked over at his arm, but refused to look up; she was ashamed, ashamed of what she was doing, of what it meant._

They managed to get past the first long run, when they all turned their heads; trumpets were sounding. "Oh, no. This is a bad, bad sign."

"You want to share?" Flash asked.

"The ceremony's already begun," he replied. "Let's go." As he opened the door to the spiral tower that led to the giant head statue, he jumped back with a shout. Ten parademons were lying in wait on the other side. Before Heartbreaker or Batman had a chance to react, Flash had managed to get Miracle out of the way, and Hawkman flew in with his plasma hammer, swiping all ten of them with one broad sweep, knocking them flying.

"Let's go," he said. They continued on at a harried pace.

_Olivia couldn't look up as Desaad starting speaking. "Do you, oh great and powerful Darkseid, master of the known universe and all of it's inhabitants, whose every whim should be carried out with the swiftest efficiency and without question and to whom all others should bow down to and kneel before and worship, whose very gaze can cause even the bravest of men to run in fear, the one who dominates all darkness in the uni- eh, multiverse! Do you agree that this female be yours, to have and hold and torment, to use and abuse and discard as you will, whether she grow old and die of neglect or by your hand, to be your willing servant and slave for the rest of her days?"_

_"I agree."_

_There was a slight pause. "She agrees!"_

_Olivia felt a painful crushing of the bones inside of her hand, and she ground her teeth together, looking up. Darkseid was looking at her expectantly; he was not about to forgive her this humiliation. She stared back for a long moment, until she remembered his threat, and the life inside her. "Yes," she whispered. "I agree."_

_"Then it is settled!" She was forced to turn, facing the people of Apokolips as their new queen. There was suddenly motion at the door. Two beams of red light arced out from her left, sweeping through the chamber before they culminated in a tiny explosion only a few inches in front of her. Olivia pulled back._

_"What was that?" she demanded._

_"None of your concern," Darkseid said. "I am amused; your friends planned a rescue mission sooner than I thought they would. Unfortunate for your friend, the speedster."_

_Olivia felt something inside tear, and she looked up at him in shock. "Aidan. You…you killed him!" Her fear wasn't enough to drown out her outrage, nor her despair._

_"Not killed," Darkseid corrected. "I can bring him back any time I wish."_

_Olivia glared. "If I cooperate," she whispered._

_He smiled at her, mocking her. "Now you're starting to learn."_

_From the door came more motion, and she recognized the man with the wings that she had met in Chicago as he flew in, his hammer swinging wildly. Behind him was Kamal, and behind him, Heartbreaker. She was moving her arms lazily, as people began to drop their weapons. She tried to pull away, but Darkseid had her hand fast. She was going to be forced to watch._

_The fight lasted little more than a few minutes: Heartbreaker had managed to lock down not only the fifty guards who stood around, but also Desaad, who lay on the ground zapping himself with his own torture device. Kalibak had gone after the strongest one, and they were dueling it out between them. Again, she felt a painful crushing in her left hand._

_"Enough." Darkseid said. Everyone turned; except for Batman. Olivia couldn't seem to find him. They were not looking at him; they were looking at _her

_"Stop," she said, looking down. "Please."_

_"Not going to happen." She heard him speak before she felt his hands grab her head and chin. Olivia stiffened, as Darkseid turned. Kamal had her head in his gloved hands, and was ready to twist. "Let her go, Darkseid. She's coming back with us." Darkseid said nothing._

_"Batman, please," she begged. "The baby. Don't kill my child, please, he's already killed Aidan!" He shifted his hand, putting it over her mouth. Olivia closed her eyes for a moment, opening them again only when he twisted, just slightly._

_"I am not playing games," he growled. "Let her go."_

_Darkseid smiled. He looked at Olivia, and she watched in horror as his eyes glowed red. _

Heartbreaker could do little but watch as Olivia disappeared, seemingly in an explosion of what looked like water molecules. Batman was left with his hands empty. Suddenly behind Darkseid a boom tube appeared.

"Push him through!" Turning, she saw Miracle, hovering in his discs. "Do it, now!"

Hawkman wasted no time; he flew straight up to Darkseid, swinging his hammer with an anger that Heartbreaker could feel without trying. It took a few tries, but he managed to push the tyrant the couple steps he needed. As soon as he was through, the tube sealed up again.

"Come on!" Another boom tube appeared, and the three of them reluctantly went through, Mr. Miracle following after. They found themselves on the Satellite.

"Olivia is dead," Heartbreaker said. "I'm assuming Flash is, as well."

"They're not dead," Miracle said. "A least, not really. That was the Omega Effect. It breaks you down into molecules and scatters them across the universe. Darkseid wouldn't have killed her; he needs her baby too badly. He'll reconstitute her the moment he gets a chance. She won't be dead for very long."

"He has no need to reconstitute the Flash," Batman pointed out. He was just as angry.

"He'll use him as a threat," Heartbreaker said. "It'll keep Olivia in line. She's done some pretty stupid things for him in the past, and I don't see that changing any time soon."

"It's probably a correct assumption," Miracle said.

"So, what do we do?" Hawkman asked sarcastically. "Stand around and talk about what might happen, or do something about it?"

Heartbreaker nodded. "I know. I want to know why the baby is so important. I'm going to go down and talk to both of their parents; they deserve to know that their children are dead in person. I can make certain they don't overreact."

"The only one who would overreact is in a coma right now," Batman said.

"Besides, I want to ask them if there are any family secrets they are harboring," she continued. "If there is something in the lineage that Darkseid wants, it may help us in stopping him."

"I agree," Miracle said. "But I have my own sources. I'll get the answers my way."

Heartbreaker nodded. "I also want to be there in case Captain Marvel gets the same idea. I think I'll go see Olivia's parents first; as you said, her father's in a coma. It wouldn't be difficult for Marvel to finish him off."

"I'll go to the hospital," Batman offered. "You go tell Dinah."


	18. Chapter 18 The Real Threat

Hawkman was not happy to have been saddled with following Mr. Miracle through another Boom Tube, but he was not about to let the man get away without an escort; he was the only way they had to travel between earth and Apokolips, and he was not about the let that link be severed. The stakes were much too high.

Coming out, he found himself on a world that was overcome with nature. Though there was technology, it seemed to blend with nature unobtrusively. It seemed…alien.

"Come on, we're probably expected," Miracle said. The two of them made their way through the field, to a giant city floating in the sky. It was not difficult for the both of them to get to it, and they were soon greeted by a man in white armor. Not long after that, a man in long white robes and a white beard arrived, leaning heavily on a cane. Marvel smiled, and the old man embraced him. "Highfather."

"Tell me what brings you and your companion here," he requested.

"Something critical is happening," Miracle explained. "Darkseid has kidnapped one of the members of the Justice League, and he is waiting for her to bear her child. The child is important, but we don't know why. Could you shed any light on the situation?"

The old man nodded slowly. "I myself cannot, but I believe Mother should be able to."

"Mother?" Hawkman asked, eyeing the old man dubiously. "Your species is long lived."

The old man smiled kindly. "No, not that kind of mother. It would be too difficult to explain to you, Thanagarian; too complex." He swelled his wings somewhat in insult. "I will return. Wait here." He turned and left, leaving the two of them in the floating paradise.

"What do you think happened to Marvel?" Hawkman asked.

Miracle shrugged. "Who knows," he said. "He might be back on earth, plotting to take down the League. He may not have foreseen Olivia managing to get a call in for help. We're lucky she did, too, else we'd have kept a traitor in our midst, even as we spoke. We would have taken him with us to Apokolips, definitely, and it would have been a simple matter of turning us over to Darkseid."

"What about Olivia, and Flash?"

"Olivia will be reconstituted the first chance Darkseid gets," he said. "Her baby is too important; he knew the easiest way to stop Batman was to remove the hostage, the same thing we were trying to do. He knew what was happening, and he knew he was in no danger. Neither was Olivia."

"Where is Darkseid now?"

"The Phantom Zone. It should take him some time to get out, but whether that time is measured in hours or months, I can't tell you."

There was silence between them for some time, until finally, the old man returned His face was drawn. "Indeed, these events are the beginning of a great threat to the multiverse."

Miracle frowned. "The multiverse?"

"Yes," Highfather explained. "There was a recent alteration of the universe. A balance had to made, in order to control an error that was made by a very powerful man. The universe was remade into the multiverse. Unfortunately, and unexpected paradox has formed, one stemming around this Olivia woman that Darkseid has taken captive. She is the source, and her child is the link across the multiverse. If one could control the child, then he could take all of the multiverses and make them one again. Undoubtedly, Darkseid seeks this power to gain control and remake the universe in his own image. The power of this child will be greater than any that the New Gods now hold, or even can hold."

"Olivia's child is a threat, then."

"Not so," Highfather said. "If the child were to grow up on earth, he would learn to use his power over time. If he is in Darkseid's hands, he will be prematurely aged, forced to use it at Darkseid's whim. He will undoubtedly begin this plot once he returns from the Phantom Zone."

"Then we have to stop him there!" Hawkman exclaimed.

"It might be possible, but do not underestimate Darkseid; even with such a loss of his powers, he is still a god. Still, if this is the path you wish to take, I must warn you; you can use a boom tube to enter the Phantom Zone, but you will be unable to create one to exit. You will have to find a way out on your own, if you do decide to attempt this."

Miracle nodded, his face solemn. "Thank you, Highfather. We will do what we can. In the meantime, we must return to earth and let the others know of this information." He turned to Hawkman. "Are you ready to go back?"

"I am," he said. "The sooner we get back, the sooner we can end this threat."


	19. Chapter 19 The Painful Truth

Heartbreaker found herself standing at the front door of the Queen residence. As was not surprising, it was raining in Seattle; fortunately, she was kept dry by the front porch. She knocked on the door softly, and was somewhat surprised when the door opened. She immediately recognized Dinah Queen, looking a bit worse for wear. Her eyes had bags under them, and her hair was somewhat disheveled. It looked as if she had not slept in days.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Mrs. Queen. I'm with the Justice League," Heartbreaker said, immediately tapping into her emotional psyche, draining it of almost all emotion. She would need to be lucid, if she was to give Heartbreaker any information as to why Olivia had been targeted.

"Please, come in," she said, standing aside. Heartbreaker entered, noting the warm, somewhat lived-in feeling of the house. On the wall were paintings, and one she noted had Olivia's signature in the corner. "I'm sorry about the mess; I haven't been around very much."

"No need to apologize," Heartbreaker insisted. "I think we should sit down and talk. It's about your daughter."

Her face grew worried, and Heartbreaker was having difficulty keeping a thumb on her emotions. "Olivia? What's wrong?" she asked, as she sat down on the couch.

Heartbreaker sighed, strengthening her control. "Unfortunately, Mrs. Queen, your daughter is dead; at least, for the moment."

"Olivia…what do you mean?"

"Darkseid had kidnapped her." Immediately, Dinah's emotions rocketed almost out of control. She managed to get somewhat of a hold back on them, and continued on. "We mounted a rescue effort, but we failed; he atomized Aidan West, and then your daughter. We suspect he'll reconstitute her once he has a chance, but I needed to ask you; is there anything in Olivia's history that would make him target her?"

Again, there was the mix of emotion. _Trust me_, she whispered directly into her emotional center. _For your daughter's sake, please trust me._

"I can't speak for Aidan, but…yes, there is….one thing about Olivia. She doesn't even know the truth."

That was a start. "Yes?"

Dinah hesitated; there was doubt still, and a deep, deep pain, anger and misery and a touch of hope someplace hidden deep. "Ollie is not Olivia's real father."

"She told us," Heartbreaker said.

"No," Dinah said, shaking her head. She refused to look up, wringing her hands. Heartbreaker noted that the tips of her fingernails were starting to trace pink lines across her skin. "I had to lie to her. I couldn't tell her the truth, but she already knew half of it; that Ollie isn't her father. It….it was twenty years ago. Darkseid had attacked earth; he was planning on changing history. To do that, he tried to remove the heroes. Some he killed; some he tried to…to steal their history. Of course, we stood our ground, together. They fought valiantly, but it was a losing battle. Darkseid breached our defenses." The pain was growing deeper now, too deep for Heartbreaker to keep a hold on. Dinah's voice filled with tears. "He came after me, and…..and Ollie…kind Ollie. He was the one who suggested that he'd take responsibility for the child."

Heartbreaker felt her own emotions spike for a moment. It was the _last_ thing she had expected from Dinah. "You're saying that Olivia's father…"

"Is Darkseid. Yes." She lowered her head again, shamefully, wiping tears from her eyes. "Her dead aim? I know it isn't from practice and skill alone. The blood is starting to manifest, just as her canary cry did, only a week ago."

"We were aware of that," Heartbreaker told her. "Batman had let us know."

"Ollie suggested that we get married once the baby was born. It took us four year, but eventually it was official. We figured everything would be all right."

"This makes no sense," she said. "He took her as his bride only hours ago."

Dinah shook her head. "He may not know," she said. "I was afraid for so many years, that he'd return, try to take her from me. From us. But he never came to check on his daughter. I thought, after fifteen years, he didn't know. I thought she'd be safe, that the secret would be safe."

"So, her and Aidan's child would be a direct descendant of Darkseid?" Heartbreaker pressed. Dinah nodded. "That may explain it. I'm...I'm truly sorry, Mrs. Queen. I didn't know I'd be dredging up such bad memories."

"It was bound to happen some time," she said. "After the accident, and Olivia was so adamant about saving him. It hurt, to see the look on her face when she realized that Ollie wasn't her father. I had to make up something to make her feel better. I…I can't tell her the truth. I couldn't then."

Heartbreaker sent her as much emotional reinforcement as she could. "Don't worry, Mrs. Queen," she said, and part of her wasn't believing what she was saying. "We'll get your daughter back, and her child. I'm sorry to leave so quickly, but I have to speak to the Wests, see if there are any secrets in Aidan's past that may be compounding with Olivia's...heritage."

"She deserves better, if for no other reason than why she was born," Dinah said, finally lifting her eyes. She could see the pain in there; her husband was still in a coma, her daughter and grandchild dead, and a painful truth having been dredged up from long-hidden recesses of the mind. Somehow, this woman had overcome all of that. It was no small feat, and even Heartbreaker was impressed.

"We'll get her back," she said, standing up. "We won't let Darkseid win this one."


End file.
